Culture

‘Shop Contest: Gaming Grows Up, Winners!

All of the video game characters have taken a hint from Kratos and learned a little bit about growing the heck up, and this week we get to check out what they’re doing with their brand new retirement funds, mowed lawns, and hats with fish on them. I asked you to make video games grow…

This Week In The Business: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Theft!

QUOTE | “When we see people innovate in an interesting and impactful way, we are very quick to figure out how to capture inspiration from innovation. When we see things that appeal to our audiences, we are very good at being inspired by those.” – Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick uses his verbal judo black…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for it being the beginning of my vacation! I am very excited to learn to cook new food, replace my dead plants, and play a lot of video games. I’ve been tinkering with the solo mode of 39 Days to Mars, a cute little puzzle game. I think it’d be more fun…

Musician FKA Twigs Gets Into Cosplay, Poses With Sephiroth

Singer FKA Twigs spent the past few days cosplaying as her original character Anomalie for her Instagram magazine Avantgarden, and it finished with a snap of her and a Sephiroth cosplayer at MCM Comic Con. FKA Twigs is multitalented artist known mostly for her moody, haunting music. Her first album, LP1, was released in 2014…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Womanizing Roommate Gave Me Awful Dating Advice

Hello all you celestial cephalopods of sin, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column to scale the heights of Yggdrasil. On occasion, I’ll get a letter from someone that requires a more in-depth response than the typical question for Ask Dr. NerdLove. Instead of the usual answer, these letter writers require…

Why Star Wars Episode 1: Racer Is Still One Of The Best Racing Games Ever

It’s May the 4th, and that means there’s no better time to talk about one of the best racing games ever: Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. Recently re-released for the PC, wannabe podracers and grizzled veterans can return to the tracks once more. Staff writers Heather Alexandra and Ethan Gach look back at what made…

If The Second World War Dragged Into The 1950s…

Michael Kus is a concept artist from Poland who between jobs has been working on a personal project called 1952, which draws a line through Second World War technological development and imagines a conflict that, into its third decade, is being fought with fancy jet aircraft and mechs. You can see more of Michael’s work…

PUBG has temporarily disabled Steam item trading to prevent sales on third-party sites. “This is essentially an abuse of the system,” a rep wrote on Steam. “Once we figure out a way to prevent abuse, the restriction will be lifted.” You can still sell items on the Steam market, but person-to-person trades are no-goes.

Far Cry Plane Nails Difficult Parking Job

Today on Highlight Reel we have Far Cry terror, racing moments, Titanfall 2 shots, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Catch up on…

I Still Enjoy Watching People Play Quest 64

Quest 64 is the first game I ever watched someone speedrun. I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time. It was the late ‘90s, and the term was not yet in common use. My younger brother managed to beat the game in a single sitting, something I’d never previously imagined being possible…

Track: Kaze wo Atsumete (cover) | Artist: Yamane Kazuki Band | Album: N/A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Human Convention | Album: Happy However After | Artist: Kindo Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Aww Gee, Here’s Some Rick & Morty Behind-The-Scenes Art

Tommy Scott is an artist who has worked in both games and TV, perhaps most recognisably with some concepts and environments for Rick & Morty’s third season. Scott was responsible for the sketches below and the design of the backgrounds, while the painting of said backgrounds was done by Hedy Yudaw, Brianne Neumann, Matt Bauer,…

Shameless (in a good way) Tribes-alike Midair is finally releasing. It’s hitting version 1.0 and going free-to-play on Steam tomorrow, meaning that blue plate specials are back on the menu again after Tribes: Ascend died, came back to life like a glorious phoenix, and then died again just to rub it in.

20 Years Of Crunch Take Their Toll On A Game Developer

Game developer Shane Neville is no stranger to crunch. He claims that while he was at Electronic Arts in the late ‘90s, he once worked nearly four months without a day off, averaging 90 to 110 hours per week making Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Eventually, after seeing the toll it took on him, he…

Dating Sim Monster Prom Rewards Some Pretty Ghoulish Behavior

In most dating sims, it’s obvious how to romance your crush. You just talk to them over and over, selecting the nicest dialogue responses until your persistence is rewarded. Monster Prom flips that script by introducing both character stats and a competitive multiplayer component. In Monster Prom, you’re a monster attending a monster school who…

Track: Dou Demo Ii Kedo | Artist: Never Young Beach | Album: YASHINOKI HOUSE Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Post-Apocalyptic Cosplay Looks Like It Survived The End Of The World

Dimitri Zaitsev, from Nuclear Snail, built this piece of post-apocalyptic cosplay that’s so detailed it looks like it travelled back in time to warn us to save the bees while we still could. We’ve featured Nuclear Snail’s work before; rather than directly replicate costumes from stuff like Fallout, Mad Max and STALKER, he comes up…

Stole Your Heart

Justin Chan is an artist who has worked for companies like Hasbro, Vlambeer and Nick Jr. You can see more of Justin’s art at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game…

Springtime In Japan Means Great Cosplay  

NicoNico, Japan’s video sharing platform, holds a big party every year called Chokaigi at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, outside Tokyo. It’s a huge otaku event and the cosplayers show up in droves. Here are some of the best cosplayers from this year’s Chokaigi.