Culture

This Week In The Business: Disappearing Developers

QUOTE | “I suspect that Apple would be ecstatic if 90 percent of game developers disappeared overnight. See also: Steam.” – Indie developer Jeff Vogel, explaining why he walked away from iOS development after his game Avernum 2 was pulled from the App Store Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “Companies…

If Deus Ex Were A Horror Game: The Steam Stream Plays Solarix

On a very special Friday installment of The Steam Stream, I’m playing Solarix, a new sci-fi horror game with open-ended Deus-Ex-style gameplay. Watch me get embarrassingly frightened below. This week’s stream will probably be a little short, but if I get around to it I’m hoping to also stream a little of Chroma Squad, a…

What Are You Playing This May?

Holy hell, it’s already May. How did that happen? We may be nearing the halfway mark on 2015. It may be spring already, the days may be longer than ever, and there may be a ton of interesting games to play and replay. All of that may be the case. May we take a moment…

One Man’s Quest To Bring Back Killing Floor’s Nipple Rings

Yes, nipple rings. A rather large group of Killing Floor 2 fans thinks that nipple rings are very important. Specifically, they think that one of the game’s characters should have them, and they’ve spent nearly a year campaigning to get them added. First, some background. In popular Steam horror shooters Killing Floor and the new…

GTA V Heist Does Not Go As Planned

On today’s Highlight Reel we have heists attacks, SUV kills, mid-air rocket collisions, stolen bikes and much more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Halo MCC –Halo: The Master Chief Collection…

The Half-Life Game That Never Was

An official Half-Life game from the creator of Deus Ex? Oh to live in the alternate universe where it actually happened. Once upon a time, Warren Spector, one of the principle creators of cyberpunk masterpiece Deus Ex, began work on a Half-Life game that never saw the light of day. At the time he was…

Track: Can’t Trust Her | Artist: Gucci Mane, Rich Homie Quan | Album: Trap House III Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The Art Of Drawing JRPG Worlds

Becca Bair is an experienced artist and games developer who is currently working on Vidar, and RPG where…everyone dies. She’s also studied architecture and interior design at university and is classically trained in the art of figure drawing. You can see more of Becca’s work at her personal site To see the larger pics in…

Ask Dr. Nerdlove: She’s Poly, And I’m Confused

Hello, Internet! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating column that can help you find the Best Ending to the dating sim that is your life. This week, we untangle the snarled web of relationship complications. How do you navigate dating someone who’s polyamorous? At what point does it go from three’s company to…

Months Later, YouPorn’s Pro Gaming Team Looks Kinda Dead

Late last year, gigantic porn site YouPorn announced that they’d acquired a pro DOTA 2 team, and every publication on Earth—probably even Highlights Magazine—gave them a headline. But was it anything more than a marketing ploy? Curious, I decided to look into what’s happened since. Once upon a time Team YP’s plan was to compete…

Is There A “Sexy Mechanics Of Steampunk” Calendar?

Tara Phillips is a Canadian concept artist who is currently Art Director at indie developer Snowed in Studios. She has a thing for pin-up art, in case you were wondering. You can see more of Tara’s work at her personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough,…

A Game Where You Can Punch Anyone, Anytime

Should I care about Will Fight For Food? Yes and no. Conceptually, it’s pretty cool. You can punch anybody whenever, even if they’re important to the story. But the combat isn’t great, and the concept quickly breaks down. What’s it about? Here’s the game’s description, via its Steam page: “Jared Casey Dent was a wrestler…

Pokémon Cosplay…If Pokémon Were Armored Death Knights

Well, this doesn’t look like canon. Which is a shame. Something like Asura’s Wrath, only starring Pokémon that look like this…that is something I would play, Nintendo. Thanks. If you’re wondering who the black Pokémon is, it’s Umbreon Cosplay by SpiritRising7, photos by B1NH Photography & Miss Ansa

Steam ‘Review Bombing’ Is A Problem

In recent times, people have taken to flooding games’ Steam pages with (typically negative) reviews and tags to protest, well, lots of things. New features, viewpoints of creators, messages in the games themselves. But why? And does it actually work? Recently, games like Skyrim, with its controversial paid mods, Titan Souls, after a beef with…

Someone Put A Star Wars AT-AT In Arma 3

On today’s Highlight Reel we have ArmA III AT-ATs, illegal hair loss in GTA V, sitting guardians in Destiny and much more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Destiny – Sittin…

Track: Tear It Off | Artist: Method Man & Redman | Album: Blackout Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

Now You Can Win Achievements While Playing… Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-Tac-Toe has achievements and a progression system now. Thanks, the year 2015. Yes, the Tic-Tac-Toe, that most ancient of gentlemanly playground sports, dating all the way back to the Roman Empire by some estimates. It might seem a bit odd, but Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe actually sounds, dare I say it, kinda interesting. See, you’re not just…

This Won’t End Well

Geoffrey Soudant is a concept artist, illustrator and storyboard artist from France who has worked in both video games and film. You can see more of Geoffrey’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as…

Have you ever taken part in a Steam review bombardment? Or whatever else you might call a concerted effort to leave a negative or positive mark on a game’s Steam page via reviews, tags, etc? I’d love to hear why. Send me an email at [email protected] or, if you’re comfortable with it, leave a comment.

Some People Are Pissed That Skyrim‘s Paid Mods Are Gone

The era of paid Steam mods ended almost as quickly as it began. Some people are pleased. Others are even more upset than they were before. It is often the moments after the indecipherable cacophony of controversy that are most telling. People calm down a little, stop spewing steam from their ears and enraged garbage…