History Creator / G4TV

G4, formerly known as [=G4TV=], is a television network with a focus on [[VideoGames video games]] that originally existed from 2002 to 2014, then later revived as an digital-first brand from 2021-2022. The original network went through some [[TroubledProduction serious growing pains in trying to find an audience and gain ratings and advertisers,]] leading it to be one of cable television's most infamous cases of NetworkDecay.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Despite the passion of the staff and fanbase, G4 was not able to achieve sustainable financial results and had low viewership. In August 2022, The Black Hokage would leave G4, and then in September 2022, 20 employees were laid off to cut costs along with Frosk departing the network. And then the final shoe dropped- [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/10/16/g4-shutdown-frosk-layoffs-wwe/ On October 16, 2022, G4 operations were shut down immediately with a memo from Comcast Spectacor CEO Dave Scott]].

* Adam Sessler - host of ''X-Play'' (2003-2012, 2021-present)

* Wrestling/XavierWoods aka King Woods aka Austin Creed - host of ''Attack of the Show'' (2021-), ''Arena'' (2022-)

* Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-), ''Boosted'' (2021-2022)
* Kassem G - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-)

* Gina Darling - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-), ''Arena'' (2022-)
* Jirard Khalil, the WebVideo/TheCompletionist - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-)
* Will Neff - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-), ''Name Your Price'' (2022-), and ''Hey, Donna!'' (2022-)

* Fiona Nova - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-)
* B. Dave Walters - host of ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* [=AustinShow=] - host of ''Name Your Price'' (2022-)
* [=JustaMinx=] - host of ''Name Your Price'' (2022-)
* [=QTCinderella=] - host of ''Hey, Donna'' (2022-)

G4, formerly known as [=G4TV=], is a television network with a focus on [[VideoGames video games]] that originally existed from 2002 to 2014, then later revived as an digital-first brand in 2021. The original network went through some [[TroubledProduction serious growing pains in trying to find an audience and gain ratings and advertisers,]] leading it to be one of cable television's most infamous cases of NetworkDecay.

In July 2020, to the surprise of well...''everyone'', it was announced that G4 will be revived as a digital-first network, launching on November 16, 2021. The revival was teased with the G4 website coming back up (with a game of Pong that was seen in the announcement trailer, bringing everything full circle, wherein if you win, you input your email and eventually got a Free T-Shirt!), the G4, ''X-Play'', and ''Attack of the Show!'' social media feeds going active once more, and a star-studded reunion special hosted by actor and comedian Ron Funches (and later featuring an appearance from WWE & TNA wrestler and newest member of the G4 family Wrestling/XavierWoods, aka Austin Creed), followed by a Thanksgiving charity stream of ''Videogame/AmongUs''. Both can be [[https://youtu.be/eyBq6apzUHg viewed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg3x5wuyJoE here]]. This incarnation is being run outside of [=NBCUniversal=], however (partially due to the strange setup the old G4 had; it was majority-owned by Comcast but [=EchoStar=], the creator and former owner of Dish Network, had a stake in [=TechTV=] and this carried over, even after G4 shut down and [=EchoStar=] itself spun off Dish Network to concentrate on satellite hardware); [[https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/g4-tv-teases-2021-relaunch-1234716006/ it's instead under]] Comcast Spectacor, their sports and arena division. Why you might be asking? Because [[https://win.gg/news/5048/defunct-video-game-tv-network-g4-being-revived-by-t1-owners thanks to Tucker Roberts]], son of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Spectacor owns a few E-Sports teams, including the ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' team Philadelphia Fusion.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, more personalities joined the G4 team, including Ovilee May (noted LCS personality), Froskurinn (well-known LEC personality), Alex "Goldenboy" Marvez (well-known eSports caster as well as a personality in the world of gaming), Kassem "Kassem G" Gharaibeh (well-known Website/YouTube personality), VirtualYoutuber [=CodeMiko=], Twitch streamer Gina Darling, WebVideo/TheCompletionist, content creator Will Neff, and internet personality WebVideo/TheBlackHokage alongside [[OldMaster returning veterans]] Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler (hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''X-Play'' respectively). In addition to that, it was announced in April 2021 that G4 would once again air the classic ''Series/NinjaWarrior'' (along with seasons 35-37 that for the first time for American audiences would be seen) alongside ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' and ''Series/TakeshisCastle Indonesia''. In May of 2021, G4 announced that they would be premiering a new tabletop RPG-oriented series dubbed ''Invitation to Party'', which is a live broadcast of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. In 2022, the channel revived ''Arena'', co-produced with the Wrestling/{{WWE}}.

* Creator/KevinPereira - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2005-2012, 2021-present) and ''Arena'' (2005)

* Indiana "Froskurinn" Black - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-), ''Boosted'' (2021-2022)

* Corey Smallwood, WebVideo/TheBlackHokage - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-)

* Will Neff - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-) and ''Name Your Price'' (2022-)

* [=QTCinderella=] - host of ''Name Your Price'' (2022-)

* Morgan Webb - host of ''X-Play''

* Kristin Adams - host of ''Cheat'', host ''Cheat'' segments on ''X-Play'' (2005-2013)

* Jessica Chobot - ''X-Play'' and ''Attack of the Show!'' correspondent

* Tina Wood - host of ''g4tv.com''
* Laura Foy - host of ''g4tv.com''

* Chris Hardwick - ''Attack of the Show!'' correspondent, host of ''Web Soup'' (2009–2011)

* Wrestling/XavierWoods - host of ''Arena'' (2022-), on-air talent

* Froskurinn - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-2022), ''X-Play'' and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* Alex 'Goldenboy' Mendez - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-2022)
* Kassem G - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* [=CodeMiko=] - on-air talent (2021-)
* Gina Darling - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-), ''Arena'' (2022-), and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2022-)
* WebVideo/TheCompletionist - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-)

* WebVideo/TheBlackHokage - host of ''X-Play'' (2021-)
* Fiona Nova - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Ify Nwadiwe - participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* Xander Jeanneret - participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Ovilee May - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-2022), on-air talent

G4, formerly known as [=G4TV=], is a television network with a focus on [[VideoGames video games]] that originally existed from 2002 to 2014, then later revived as an online-first brand in 2021. The original network went through some [[TroubledProduction serious growing pains in trying to find an audience and gain ratings and advertisers,]] leading it to be one of cable television's most infamous cases of NetworkDecay.

The Comcast-owned channel was launched in April 2002 by Charles Hirschhorn. The lineup entirely consisted of gaming-related shows such as ''Arena'' (a multi-player gaming competition show), ''[=G4TV.com=]'' (an interactive talk show connected with the website), ''Cheat!'' (a show dedicated to cheat codes and walkthroughs; think Website/{{GameFAQs}} on TV), and reruns of ''Series/{{Starcade}}''. The channel struggled to find viewers and get into more homes since the only major carrier with G4 was Comcast's own cable service. In 2004, Comcast bought out Creator/TechTV, a channel focused on computers and technology that was carried on more cable/satellite providers. On May 28, 2004, the two cable channels with similar missions would merge into [=G4TechTV=].

In reality, [=TechTV=] would be flushed out in less than a year's time. Comcast would close the [=TechTV=] production facilities in San Francisco, giving its staff the ultimatum of either relocating to Los Angeles or going out of a job. ''Series/XPlay'' and its hosts; ''The Screen Savers'', which became ''Series/AttackOfTheShow''; Anime Unleashed, a block for {{Anime}} programming; and ''Unscrewed with Martin Sargent'' were the only remnants of [=TechTV=] to survive the merger. (Charles Hirschhorn [[https://www.reddit.com/r/g4tv/comments/k95kyo/clip_kevin_pereira_interviews_the_creator_of_g4tv/ later apologized]] [[OldShame for his actions in essentially killing [=TechTV=]]].)

Despite the growing fanbase for G4's programming, the channel was still struggling financially. Layoffs continued as a cost-cutting measure and the G4 studios were eventually downsized and relocated to the same building as [[Creator/{{E}} E! Entertainment]] and the Style network. In November 2010, [=DirecTV=] dropped G4 as a whole, justifying the move by pointing at the network's low ratings. In response, ''Attack of the Show!'' [[BitingTheHandHumor would begin tearing [=DirecTV=] apart]] for kicking the network off their lineup every chance they got.[[note]]Adam Sessler [[https://twitter.com/AdamSessler/status/1256657986526707712 revealed in 2020]] that G4 was the first [=NBCUniversal=]/Comcast network to negotiate carriage fees, and [=DirecTV=] kicking them off was pushback against the growing Comcast monopoly as Comcast was also a competitor.[[/note]]

By 2012, as Comcast finalized the acquisition of mass media company [[Creator/{{NBC}} NBC]]Creator/{{Universal}}, G4 gained a new network president in Adam Stotsky. Long-time G4 personalities Adam Sessler (''X-Play'') and Kevin Periera (''Attack of the Show!'') left the network amidst the rumors of another attempt to rebrand the network. Said rumors were proven true when in December of that year it was announced that G4 would be rebranded as the Esquire Network, in partnership with men's magazine of the same name. Not long after Sessler and Periera's departure, their respective flagship shows were cancelled in January 2013. This brought an end to all studio programming, and while it was eventually decided to leave G4 as is, the network would devolve into endless reruns of old original programming and episodes and a slowly-dwindling handful of syndicated shows during what would be its final years. [[note]][[TroubledProduction Esquire Network would go through its own growing pains even before launch]]. [=NBCUniversal=] originally set the new network's initial launch date on April 22, 2013. A lack of original programming for the new channel forced a delay to September 23 of that year. Because of G4's lackluster distribution and tanking ratings, and because the Style network was deemed too similar to the company's established, women-targeting, lifestyle networks, E! and Oxygen, it was decided to replace that channel with Esquire instead. Despite the hype behind the relaunch, Nielsen could not measure the initial ratings for Esquire Network [[{{Irony}} because said ratings were too low to meet a "minimum reporting standard".]] Three major television providers (Dish Network, [=AT&T=] U-Verse, and [=DirecTV=]) dropped Esquire in late 2016 and [=NBCU=] would shutter the network on June 28, 2017.[[/note]]

Comcast removed G4 from '''its own''' cable systems starting in January 2014. Throughout the year, only [=AT&T=] U-Verse, the newly formed Google Fiber, and a few other small cable providers carried the channel to fulfill broadcasting contracts. All those agreements expired by midnight EST on December 31, 2014. The network signed off with a game of ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' ([[BookEnds referencing when G4 launched with all-week]] ''Pong'' games) that slowly shrunk and filled with a grey color, followed by a sound clip of a Comic-Con attendee shouting "I'M AT COMIC-CON!!!" (a possible allusion to G4 dying and going to "nerd heaven") as the dot shut off like an analog TV alongside ''Donkey Kong''[='=]s death bloops from the Atari 2600 and the Game Boy start-up chime. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIaPvsrUG8w You can see G4's symbolic "Game Over" for yourself on YouTube.]] On the other hand, a Canadian version (originally based on [=TechTV=]) was shut down on August 31, 2017, after years of suffering through its own NetworkDecay.

In the years since the network's demise, G4 Media continues to exist so that Comcast can maintain the [=TechTV=] and G4 program libraries. To this day, the sole surviving G4 original series is ''Series/AmericanNinjaWarrior'', which is now a staple of Creator/{{NBC}}'s summer lineup. The network's website, [=G4TV.com=] survived for almost ''three years'' after G4's shutdown as a freemium game portal and an archive of sorts of older videos before being used as a redirect to Creator/{{Syfy}} Wire's website. Syfy's freemium gaming website, Syfy Games, later relaunched its news section with the G4 branding, which only lasted for a few months. As part of Syfy's 2017 rebrand, the G4 website was shut down completely in favor of the games section of Syfy Wire. Syfy as a whole would be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts to G4 due to its focus on genre programming and fandom and for being the sole remaining Comcast-owned outlet to cover such a niche.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, more personalities joined the G4 team, including Ovilee May (noted LCS personality), Froskurinn (well-known LEC personality), Alex "Goldenboy" Marvez (well-known eSports caster as well as a personality in the world of gaming), Kassem "Kassem G" Gharaibeh (well-known Website/YouTube personality), VirtualYoutuber [=CodeMiko=], Twitch streamer Gina Darling, WebVideo/TheCompletionist, content creator Will Neff, and internet personality WebVideo/TheBlackHokage alongside [[OldMaster returning veterans]] Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler (hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''X-Play'' respectively). In addition to that, it was announced in April 2021 that G4 would once again air the classic ''Series/NinjaWarrior'' (along with seasons 35-37 that for the first time for American audiences would be seen) alongside ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' and ''Series/TakeshisCastle Indonesia''. In May of 2021, G4 announced that they would be premiering a new tabletop RPG-oriented series dubbed ''Invitation to Party'', which is a live broadcast of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Beginning in the spring of 2021, G4 began holding a series of Twitch streams dubbed ''[=B4G4=]'' and later the ''G4 Beach House'', as a way to provide content ranging from gaming commentary (i.e. ''X-Play''), [=eSports=] news, challenges, and bits (i.e. ''Attack of the Show!'') as well as putting up [=YouTube=] videos each and every week on their channel; this continued after the official relaunch of the channel in November 2021.

* Wrestling/XavierWoods - on-air talent (2021-)

* Gina Darling - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-) and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2022-)

G4, formerly known as [=G4TV=], was a television network with a focus on [[VideoGames video games]] that originally existed from 2002 to 2014, then later revived as an online-first brand in 2021. The original network went through some [[TroubledProduction serious growing pains in trying to find an audience and gain ratings and advertisers,]] leading it to be one of cable television's most infamous cases of NetworkDecay.

In reality, [=TechTV=] would be flushed out in less than a year's time. Comcast would close the [=TechTV=] production facilities in San Francisco, giving its staff the ultimatum of either relocating to Los Angeles or going out of a job. ''Series/XPlay'' and its hosts; ''The Screen Savers'', which became ''Series/AttackOfTheShow''; Anime Unleashed, a block for {{Anime}} programming; and ''Unscrewed with Martin Sargent'', were the only remnants of [=TechTV=] to survive the merger. (Charles Hirschhorn [[https://www.reddit.com/r/g4tv/comments/k95kyo/clip_kevin_pereira_interviews_the_creator_of_g4tv/ later apologized]] [[OldShame for his actions in essentially killing [=TechTV=]]].)

In July 2020, to the surprise of well...''everyone'', it was announced that G4 will be revived as a digital-first network, launching on November 16, 2021. The revival was teased with the G4 website coming back up (with a game of Pong that was seen in the announcement trailer, bringing everything full circle, wherein if you win, you input your email and eventually got a Free T-Shirt!) and the G4, ''X-Play'', and ''Attack of the Show!'' social media feeds going active once more, and a star-studded reunion special hosted by actor and comedian Ron Funches (and later featuring an appearance from WWE & TNA wrestler and newest member of the G4 family Wrestling/XavierWoods, aka Austin Creed), followed by a Thanksgiving charity stream of ''Videogame/AmongUs''. Both can be [[https://youtu.be/eyBq6apzUHg viewed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg3x5wuyJoE here]]. This incarnation is being run outside of [=NBCUniversal=], however (partially due to the strange setup the old G4 had; it was majority-owned by Comcast but [=EchoStar=], the creator and former owner of Dish Network, had a stake in [=TechTV=] and this carried over, even after G4 shut down and [=EchoStar=] itself spun off Dish Network to concentrate on satellite hardware); [[https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/g4-tv-teases-2021-relaunch-1234716006/ it's instead under]] Comcast Spectacor, their sports and arena division. Why you might be asking? Because [[https://win.gg/news/5048/defunct-video-game-tv-network-g4-being-revived-by-t1-owners thanks to Tucker Roberts]], son of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Spectacor owns a few E-Sports teams, including the ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' team Philadelphia Fusion.

Outside the network, Creator/DisneyXD launched their ''D|XP'' gaming block with content produced by former ''X-Play'' producer Wade Beckett and hosts Kevin Pereira (who produced ''WebVideo/TheAttack'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Attack of the Show!'', first premiering on Website/{{Twitch}}) and Blair Herter. Former G4 head Neal Tiles started "VENN" (the [[FunWithAcronyms Videogame Entertainment News Network]]), with backing from mega-station group Nexstar Media; however, it underwent financial difficulties and they quietly ceased operations in late 2021. ''Code Monkeys'' resurfaced on Comcast's streaming service, Creator/{{Peacock}}, when it launched in 2020. Many of the revamped channel's original shows air on the Creator/PlutoTV-exclusive channel G4 Select.

* Ovilee May - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-2022)

* Ovilee May - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-)
* Froskurinn - host of ''Boosted'', ''X-Play'' and participant in ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* Alex 'Goldenboy' Mendez - host of ''Boosted'' (2021-)

Outside the network, Creator/DisneyXD launched their ''D|XP'' gaming block with content produced by former ''X-Play'' producer Wade Beckett and hosts Kevin Pereira (who produced ''WebVideo/TheAttack'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Attack of the Show!'', first premiering on Website/{{Twitch}}) and Blair Herter. Former G4 head Neal Tiles started "VENN" (the [[FunWithAcronyms Videogame Entertainment News Network]]), with backing from mega-station group Nexstar Media; however, it underwent financial difficulties and they quietly ceased operations in late 2021. ''Code Monkeys'' resurfaced on Comcast's streaming service, Creator/{{Peacock}}, when it launched in 2020. Many of the revamped channel's original shows air on the Creator/PlutoTV-exclusive channel G4 Selects.

Outside the network, Creator/DisneyXD launched their ''D|XP'' gaming block with content produced by former ''X-Play'' producer Wade Beckett and hosts Kevin Pereira (who produced ''WebVideo/TheAttack'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Attack of the Show!'', first premiering on Website/{{Twitch}}) and Blair Herter. Former G4 head Neal Tiles started "VENN" (the [[FunWithAcronyms Videogame Entertainment News Network]]), with backing from mega-station group Nexstar Media; however, it underwent financial difficulties and they quietly ceased operations in late 2021. ''Code Monkeys'' resurfaced on Comcast's streaming service, Creator/{{Peacock}}, when it launched in 2020.

* Froskurinn - host of ''Boosted'', ''X-Play'' and ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Kassem G - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Gina Darling - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-) and ''Invitation to Party'' (2022-)

* Fiona Nova - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Ify Nwadiwe - host of ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)
* Xander Jeanneret - host of ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

* Will Neff - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-)

* Gina Darling - host of ''Attack of the Show!'' (2021-)

* B. Dave Walters - host of ''Invitation to Party'' (2021-)

Throughout 2020 and 2021, more personalities joined the G4 team, including Ovilee May (noted LCS personality), Froskurinn (well-known LEC personality), Alex "Goldenboy" Marvez (well-known eSports caster as well as a personality in the world of gaming), Kassem "Kassem G" Gharaibeh (well-known Website/YouTube personality), VTuber [=CodeMiko=], Twitch streamer Gina Darling, WebVideo/TheCompletionist, content creator Will Neff, and internet personality WebVideo/TheBlackHokage alongside [[OldMaster returning veterans]] Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler (hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''X-Play'' respectively). In addition to that, it was announced in April 2021 that G4 would once again air the classic ''Series/NinjaWarrior'' (along with seasons 35-37 that for the first time for American audiences would be seen) alongside ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' and ''Series/TakeshisCastle Indonesia''. In May of 2021, G4 announced that they would be premiering a new tabletop RPG-oriented series dubbed ''Invitation to Party'', which is a live broadcast of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Beginning in the spring of 2021, G4 began holding a series of Twitch streams dubbed ''[=B4G4=]'' and later the ''G4 Beach House'', as a way to provide content ranging from gaming commentary (i.e. ''X-Play''), [=eSports=] news, challenges, and bits (i.e. ''Attack of the Show!'') as well as putting up [=YouTube=] videos each and every week on their channel; this continued after the official relaunch of the channel in November 2021.

* CodeMiko - on-air talent (2021-)

Outside the network, Creator/DisneyXD launched their ''D|XP'' gaming block with content produced by former ''X-Play'' producer Wade Beckett and hosts Kevin Pereira (who produced ''WebVideo/TheAttack'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Attack of the Show!'', first premiering on Website/{{Twitch}}) and Blair Herter. Former G4 head Neal Tiles started [[https://www.venn.tv VENN]], with backing from mega-station group Nexstar Media; however, it underwent financial difficulties and they quietly ceased operations in late 2021. ''Code Monkeys'' resurfaced on Comcast's streaming service, Creator/{{Peacock}}, when it launched in 2020.

G4, formerly known as [=G4TV=], was a television network with a focus on [[VideoGames video games]] that originally existed from 2002 to 2014, then later revived as an online-only brand in 2021. The original network went through some [[TroubledProduction serious growing pains in trying to find an audience and gain ratings and advertisers,]] leading it to be one of cable television's most infamous cases of NetworkDecay.

Despite the growing fanbase for G4's programming, the channel was still struggling financially. Layoffs continued as a cost-cutting measure and the G4 studios were eventually downsized and relocated to the same building as [[Creator/{{E}} E! Entertainment]] and the Style Network. In November 2010, [=DirecTV=] dropped G4 as a whole, justifying the move by pointing at the network's low ratings. In response, ''Attack of the Show!'' [[BitingTheHandHumor would begin tearing [=DirecTV=] apart]] for kicking the network off their lineup every chance they got.[[note]]Adam Sessler [[https://twitter.com/AdamSessler/status/1256657986526707712 revealed in 2020]] that G4 was the first [=NBCUniversal=]/Comcast network to negotiate carriage fees, and [=DirecTV=] kicking them off was pushback against the growing Comcast monopoly as Comcast was also a competitor.[[/note]]

By 2012, as Comcast finalized the acquisition of mass media company [[Creator/{{NBC}} NBC]]Creator/{{Universal}}, G4 gained a new network president in Adam Stotsky. Long-time G4 personalities Adam Sessler (''X-Play'') and Kevin Periera (''Attack of the Show!'') left the network amidst the rumors of another attempt to rebrand the network. Said rumors were proven true when in December of that year it was announced that G4 would be rebranded as the Esquire Network, in partnership with men's magazine of the same name. Not long after Sessler and Periera's departure, their respective flagship shows were cancelled in January 2013. This brought an end to all studio programming, and while it was eventually decided to leave G4 as is, the network would devolve into endless reruns of old original programming and episodes and a slowly-dwindling handful of syndicated shows during what would be its final years. [[note]][[TroubledProduction Esquire Network would go through its own growing pains even before launch]]. [=NBCUniversal=] originally set the new network's initial launch date on April 22, 2013. A lack of original programming for the new channel forced a delay to September 23 of that year. Because of G4's lackluster distribution and tanking ratings, and because Style Network was deemed too similar to the company's established, women-targeting, lifestyle networks, E! and Oxygen, it was decided to replace that channel with Esquire instead. Despite the hype behind the relaunch, Nielsen could not measure the initial ratings for Esquire Network [[{{Irony}} because said ratings were too low to meet a "minimum reporting standard".]] Three major television providers (Dish Network, [=AT&T=] U-Verse, and [=DirecTV=]) dropped Esquire in late 2016 and [=NBCU=] would shutter the network on June 28, 2017.[[/note]]

In the years since the network's demise, G4 Media continues to exist so that Comcast can maintain the [=TechTV=] and G4 program libraries. To this day, the sole surviving G4 original series is ''Series/AmericanNinjaWarrior'', which is now a staple of Creator/{{NBC}}'s Summer lineup. The network's website, [=G4TV.com=] survived for almost ''three years'' after G4's shutdown as a freemium game portal and an archive of sorts of older videos before being used as a redirect to Creator/{{Syfy}} Wire's website. Syfy's freemium gaming website, Syfy Games relaunched its news section with the G4 branding, which only lasted for a few months. As part of Syfy's 2017 rebrand, the G4 website was shut down completely in favor of the games section of Syfy Wire. Syfy as a whole would be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts to G4 due to its focus on genre programming and fandom and for being the sole remaining Comcast-owned outlet to cover such a niche.

In July 2020, to the surprise of well...''everyone'', it was announced that G4 will be revived as a digital-first network, launching on November 16, 2021. The revival was teased with the G4 website coming back up (with a game of Pong that was seen in the announcement trailer, bringing everything full circle, wherein if you win, you input your email and eventually got a Free T-Shirt!) and the G4, ''X-Play'', and ''Attack of the Show!'' social media feeds going active once more, and a star-studded reunion special hosted by actor and comedian ''Ron Funches'' (and later featuring an appearance from WWE & TNA wrestler and newest member of the G4 family ''Wrestling/XavierWoods'' aka Austin Creed), followed by a Thanksgiving charity stream of ''Videogame/AmongUs''. Both can be [[https://youtu.be/eyBq6apzUHg viewed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg3x5wuyJoE here]]. This incarnation is being run outside of [=NBCUniversal=], however (partially due to the strange setup the old G4 had; it was majority-owned by Comcast but [=EchoStar=], the creator and former owner of Dish Network, had a stake in [=TechTV=] and this carried over, even after G4 shut down and [=EchoStar=] itself spun off Dish Network to concentrate on satellite hardware); [[https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/g4-tv-teases-2021-relaunch-1234716006/ it's instead under]] Comcast Spectacor, their sports and arena division. Why you might be asking? Because [[https://win.gg/news/5048/defunct-video-game-tv-network-g4-being-revived-by-t1-owners thanks to Tucker Roberts]], son of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Spectacor owns a few E-Sports teams, including the ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' team Philadelphia Fusion; Tucker serves as head of the revived network.

As of 2021, there were more members added to the G4 family namely Ovilee May (noted LCS personality), Froskurinn (well-known LEC personality), Alex 'Goldenboy' Marvez (well-known eSports caster as well as personality in the world of gaming, Kassem 'Kassem G' Gharaibeh (well-known Website/YouTube personality), VTuber [=CodeMiko=], Twitch streamer Gina Darling, WebVideo/TheCompletionist, content creator Will Neff, and internet personality WebVideo/TheBlackHokage alongside returning veterans Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler (hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''X-Play'' respectively). In addition to that, it was announced in April 2021 that G4 would once again air the classic ''Series/NinjaWarrior'' (along with seasons 35-37 that for the first time for American audiences would be seen) alongside Unbeatable Banzuke and Takeshi's Castle Indonesia. In May of 2021, G4 announced that they'll be premiering a new tabletop RPG-oriented series dubbed ''Invitation to Party'' which is a live broadcast of TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons. Since the Spring of 2021, G4 is holding a series of Twitch streams dubbed '[=B4G4=]' and later 'G4 Beach House' as a way to provide content ranging from gaming commentary (i.e. X-Play), eSports news, challenges, and bits (i.e. Attack of the Show!) as well as putting up Youtube videos each and every week on their channel.

Outside the network, Creator/DisneyXD launched their D|XP gaming block with content produced by former ''X-Play'' producer Wade Beckett and hosts Kevin Pereira (who produces ''WebVideo/TheAttack'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Attack of the Show!'', first premiering on Website/{{Twitch}}) and Blair Herter. Former G4 head Neal Tiles has started [[https://www.venn.tv VENN]], with backing from mega-station group Nexstar Media. ''Code Monkeys'' resurfaced on Comcast's streaming service, Creator/{{Peacock}}, when it launched in 2020.

* Ovilee May - host of ''The BLEEP Esports Show''
* Froskurinn - host of ''The BLEEP Esports Show''
* Alex 'Goldenboy' Mendez - on-air talent (2021-)
* Kassem G - on-air talent (2021-)

* Gina Darling - on-air talent (2021-)
* WebVideo/TheCompletionist - on-air talent (2021-)
* Will Neff - on-air talent (2021-)
* WebVideo/TheBlackHokage - on-air talent (2021-)

As of 2021, there were more members added to the G4 family namely Ovilee May (noted LCS personality), Froskurinn (well-known LEC personality), Alex 'Goldenboy' Marvez (well-known eSports caster as well as personality in the world of gaming, Kassem 'Kassem G' Gharaibeh (well-known Website/YouTube personality), VTuber [=CodeMiko=], Twitch streamer Gina Darling, WebVideo/TheCompletionist, content creator Will Neff, and internet personality WebVideo/TheBlackHokage alongside returning veterans Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler (hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' and ''X-Play'' respectively). In addition to that, it was announced in April 2021 that G4 would once again air the classic ''Series/NinjaWarrior'' (along with seasons 35-37 that for the first time for American audiences would be seen) alongside Unbeatable Banzuke and Takeshi's Castle Indonesia. In May of 2021, G4 announced that they'll be premiering a new tabletop RPG-oriented series dubbed ''D&D Live'' which is a live broadcast of TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons. Since the Spring of 2021, G4 is holding a series of Twitch streams dubbed '[=B4G4=]' and later 'G4 Beach House' as a way to provide content ranging from gaming commentary (i.e. X-Play), eSports news, challenges, and bits (i.e. Attack of the Show!) as well as putting up Youtube videos each and every week on their channel.

* ''Series/TheBLEEPEsportsShow''