G4, the video game network that aired from 2002 to 2014, has officially re-launched via streaming services and linear TV.
The channel can be found in Verizon Fios, Xfinity TV, and Cox cable packages, as well as via the streaming service Philo; more providers will be announced within the coming days and weeks.
Original programming can also be viewed for free via G4’s Twitch and YouTube channels. The linear version of the network will air what is seen on the network’s Twitch and YouTube one day after, edited specifically for television.
G4’s launch week will include premieres of four original series, including the return of Attack of the Show! and Xplay, which had been staple shows during the network’s previous life.
Attack of the Show!, a geek culture variety show, will be the first to air on November 17th at 4 p.m. PT on Twitch and YouTube.
The revival is set to feature returning host Kevin Pereira as well as newcomers Gina Darling, Kassem G., Fiona Nova, and Will Neff.
Later this week, Xplay (all about video game reviews and “insightful and irreverent explorations into every game worth your time”), will air November 19th at 12 p.m. PT on Twitch and YouTube.
Xplay sees the return of original host Adam Sessler, who will be joined by Forskurinn, Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, and The Black Hokage.
The Dungeons & Dragons series Invitation to Party and the e-sports-centric show Boosted will air on November 19th at 3 p.m. PT and November 23rd at 2 p.m. PT, respectively, also on Twitch and YouTube.
Although the channel’s current blocks of programming on linear channels only include reruns of Ninja Warrior at the moment (with breaks for specials like last year’s A Very Special G4 Holiday Reunion Special), more shows are set to pop up over the next few days — including ones that won’t be aired on G4’s Twitch and YouTube.
Classic gaming and competition shows like Starcade, Unbeatable Banzuke, and Takeshi’s Castle will air on G4’s linear feed alongside new-to-television programming from creators like Scott the Woz, AustinShow, and Viva La Dirt League.
Future programming announced to be headed to G4 include an animated series by Kitboga, a video game competition show from professional wrestler Xavier Woods, and a project from VTuber CodeMiko.
G4, focused on “video games, comedy, creators, and culture,” is a revival of the network that went off-air in 2014.
The original incarnation of G4 went live in 2002, launching with the tagline “TV for Gamers” and 10 original shows all focused on video games, including multiplayer competitive show Arena, trailer showcase Cinematech, tips and tricks show Cheat!, and roundtable talk show G4tv.com.
In 2004, the network merged with TechTV, a tech and internet-focused cable network. The combined entity was briefly called “G4techTV.”
With the acquisition, G4 added TechTV programming like tech variety show The Screen Savers and game review show X-Play; later, G4 revamped The Screen Savers into the pop culture-centric Attack of the Show!
In 2005, “TechTV” was dropped from the “G4techTV” name in the United States, becoming “G4” once again and adopting the new tagline “Videogame TV.”
In years leading following, G4 became increasingly less video game-focused and more of a general men’s lifestyle channel, airing reruns of shows like Star Trek, COPS, Cheaters, and Lost.
Network mismanagement and a loss of viewership eventually led to the channel’s demise in 2014, when all operations were shut down.
It announced its 2021 return in 2020 and held an open casting call for new hosts earlier this year.
After a G4 reunion show that was broadcast last November, G4 led up to its official relaunch throughout 2021 with several “G4 Beach House” streams and videos on its YouTube and Twitch channels.
Last month, the network officially revealed its relaunch date as November 16th, 2021.
If you’re interested in tuning into the new G4, you can do so now by turning on your TV or catching the network’s original shows as they air live on Twitch and YouTube.
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Written by Daniel Dell-Cornejo
Daniel is an editor at Nintendo Wire. Always with his head in the clouds, he is never apart from his creative thoughts – a blessing for an aspiring fiction writer. As a journalist and lifelong gamer, he aims to provide readers with the very best in Nintendo coverage.
