How Exactly Does Dota 2 Come Up With Over $20 Million In Prizes For Its Biggest Event?

This year’s International has broken the record for largest prize pool in esports at over $20,700,460 and still climbing. That record was set by last year’s International, which broke a record set by the previous year’s. This presents a mystery to the uninitiated: Exactly where is all this money coming from? Dota 2‘s International is…

Battlegrounds Getting First-Person Only Servers

In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, using the third-person camera to peek around corners while you remain comfortably out of harm’s way is key to survival. As a human being with eyeballs that spend most of their time firmly in their sockets, you might recognize this as unrealistic. If you want more realism from your game about 100…

AnimEvo Is A Great Showcase For The Games That Don’t Make It Into Evo

This weekend’s big Evolution Championship Series of tournaments for huge fighting games like Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. Melee, will run alongside an unofficial spin-off called AnimEvo that showcases competition in more obscure fighting games and even some games that don’t involve punches and kicks. At Evo 2017, AnimEvo will feature tournaments for…

Look At This Bad Mario Puzzle

Nintendo has released a one thousand piece Mario puzzle, and there’s something wrong with it. Can you guess? More than half the pieces in this box are the same exact color. Has anyone who worked on this actually seen a puzzle before? I’m no puzzle expert, but that seems like a recipe for a bad…

Super Meat Boy Creator’s New Game Is Fun But Familiar

The End is Nigh is a new puzzle platformer by former Newgrounds creator Tyler Glaiel and Super Meat Boy’s Edmund McMillen out now on PC. It brings back Meat Boy’s precise controls and movement for a second round of dangerous jumps and spike pits. It’s a bit too familiar, but it’s still a lot of…

A Game Where You Try To Clean Crime Scenes Without Getting Caught

Serial Cleaner is a game where you play as a professional crime scene cleaner for the mob. You have to sneak around cops in order to vacuum up bloodstains, pick up bodies, and pocket murder weapons. For a game about cleaning, it’s surprisingly fun. Each level is set in a different location: a camping ground,…

If You Liked Inside, You’ll Like Black The Fall And Its Little Robot Dog Too

Released this week on Steam by Sand Sailor Studio, Black The Fall is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer that shares many similarities withlast year’s indie hit, Inside Dark and moody atmosphere? Clever puzzles requiring plenty of trial and error? It’s got all that, plus a lil’ robot friend. Comparisons between Black The Fall and Playdead’s…

GTA Online Players Are Using The New Jet Engine Bike For Wild Stunts

Last month, GTA Online received a massive update that added a motorcycle with a jet engine strapped to the back. Since then, YouTubers have staged all manner of stunts with the new flying motorbike. TheIvaneh and his group of stunters had a slew of jet bike shenanigans involving a large airplane, as you can see…

Podcast: Vaan Really Sucks

“I just wish [Final Fantasy XII]’s main character weren’t this pretty boy shithead,” says Kirk on today’s big Q&A episode of Kotaku Splitscreen We start off the ep by talking Final Fantasy XII (6:20), Grand Theft Auto IV (20:12), and Red Dead Redemption (26:58) before opening up the mailbag (33:15) and answering your questions about…

The New Naruto Game Is All About Class-Based Online Ninja Team Battles

Coming next year to PS4, Xbox One and PC, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers is a team-based online battler that files the many ninja of the Naruto-verse into four categories: attack, ranged, defense and healer—AKA rogue, wizard, warrior and cleric. Don’t worry, all of them kick and punch. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers is a…

Celebrating Our Lucky (And Well-Loved) Gaming Controllers

This deeply unintimidating GameCube controller is precious to me (and one of the last functional ones I own). It brings me luck and joy and brilliant Super Smash Bros. air dodges. And it has damned many challengers in its long and hard life. No, I’m not proud of how it looks—the duct-taped cord, the gunk-covered…

Ni no Kuni II Delayed Two Months 

It is with great sadness that I report that I have delayed yet another game: Ni no Kuni II is now coming out in January. The role-playing game, a PS4 and PC sequel to the 2013 PS3 game Ni no Kuni, was previously scheduled for November. “We have decided that more development time is required in…

Anime-Themed Glasses Shop Opens In Tokyo

It’s called “Animegane” and claims to be the first anime-themed eyewear specialty store in the world. “Animegane” is a combination of “anime” and “megane” (glasses), and it accurately sums up what this establishment is all about. But these glasses aren’t just for looks. According to IT Media, Animegane can make different kinds of lenses for…

Real-Life Monster Hunter Gun Replica Is Very Long

This is a full-scale build of the Monster Hunter Aquamatic “Longshot” sniper rifle. Twitter user Killer 927 posted photos of this recreation, which was made with foam board, PVC pipe, and wood. Here is the trigger mechanism. It sure is long. The finishing touches and paint job sell the thing. *applause* Kotaku East is your…

Metal Gear‘s 30th Anniversary Is Today 

Konami released the first Metal Gear on July 13, 1987. Created by Hideo Kojima, the stealth game came out on the MSX2 computer and went on to spawn a successful and beloved franchise. Today, fans are saying thanks. Under the hashtag #MG30th and #メタルギア30周年 (or “Metal Gear 30th Anniversary”), Twitter users have been uploading photos,…

In Japan, Nintendo Announces Production For The Smaller New Nintendo 3DS Has Ended

The official Japanese site for the smaller-sized New Nintendo 3DS clearly states that production of the handheld is over. The text in the little box reads 生産終了 (seisan shuuryou) or “production ended.” This does not only pertain to the pictured model. If you click on the Line Up (ラインナップ) tab, it states すべて生産終了しました (subete seisan…

How Ash from Pokémon Has Changed

The Pokémon anime debuted in Japan back in 1997, following the adventures of ten-year-old Ash, Pikachu, and their friends. That was nearly twenty years ago. Ash might still be 10, but he sure has changed. Note: This article was originally published on February 8, 2016. It has since been updated. That shouldn’t come as a…

Night. Copenhagen, Denmark. By Dana Ilmansyah. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Bleach Cosplay!

Here’s Bleach’s Yoruichi Shihōin by ChibiThot