Brian Ashcraft

Pikachu Wasn’t Based On A Mouse, But A Squirrel 

Even though the Pokédex describes as a “Mouse” type, the iconic character was originally based on another rodent. In a new Yomiuri interview, Atsuko Nishida, who previously worked at Game Freak, revealed that she based the character’s original designs for Pokémon Red and Green on a squirrel and not a mouse. “At that time, I…

Eromanga Sensei Comes To Eromanga Island 

In Japanese, the island of Erromango is “Eromangatou” (エロマンガ島), or “Eromanga Island.” The words “ero” (エロ) and “manga” (マンガ) are clearly visible, while the kanji 島 (shima or tou) means “island”. This is why one man, it seems, decided to visit and bring ero-manga themed comics to show the locals. Namely, as Hachima reports, copies…

Early Morning Onsen. Fukuoka, Japan. By ShuYung Wu. 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! 

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.

Nintendo’s new president Shuntaro Furukawa certainly wants the Switch to succeed, but according to Nikkei, he is aiming at a smartphone game to generate over $900 million in sales. “In what I can see now,” he said, “the thing I want to make the big are smartphone games.” Update May 2 – 9:00pm: An earlier…

A Nintendo Labo Powered Wheelchair

Now that Nintendo Labo is out, people are doing cool things with it. Using the motorcycle Joy-Con to control a wheelchair has to be among the coolest of them. This was created by Japanese researcher and inventor Kentaro Yoshifuji. Since Yoshifuji was in high school, he has developed new technology for electric wheelchairs, and this…

Before Space Invaders, Taito Made Vodka 

Nintendo got its start making playing cards. Sega began making amusement machines for the U.S. military. And Taito? It was the first company to distil vodka in Japan. As pointed out in Chris Kohler’s book Power-Up and by game localizer Matt Alt on Twitter, Taito got its start in vodka thanks to its founder, the…

The Skyline. Kyoto, Japan. By José Arturo Vaca Montante. 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! 

Massive Virtual Reality Theme Park Opens In China

This weekend, a VR-only theme park opened in Guizhou, China. One of the park’s centerpieces, however, is not virtual but a towering Transformers-style robot statue. Just look at it! Clocking in at 53 meters and weighing 700 tons, the thing is huge Featuring 35 virtual reality attractions, Oriental Science Fiction Valley opened on April 29.…

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.

Another Tourist Crashes Real-Life (And Totally Unofficial) Mario Kart In Tokyo

Last night in Tokyo, a 30-something-year-old tourist from Singapore made a wrong turn, driving a rental MariCar (the go-kart company that Nintendo is suing for copyright infringement) up on the sidewalk and crashing it into a restaurant sign. This is not a first. Previously, Kotaku reported that another tourist crashed a MariCar into a police…

Riding The Tram. Hong Kong. By Kris Lo. 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!   

Track: Theme De Camille | Artist: Georges Delerue | Album: Le Mepris Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Do Not Come To Japan This Week

Did you just arrive in Japan? Oh dear. Bad timing. I’m sure you’ll have fun, but there are better times to visit. Why, you might ask. Because this is Golden Week when the entire country goes on vacation. This article was originally published on May 2, 2016. It has since been updated. Golden Week, or…

DJ Does An Excellent Cosplay Of Dragon Ball‘s Android 18 

DJ Soda, who not only headlines big festivals in Asia but also sells some of its biggest brands, is no stranger to dressing as famous characters. Previously, she did a set as D.Va from Overwatch But her blond hairstyle better suits another character. That’s probably why the famed Korean DJ did an Android 18 cosplay…

Over the weekend, it was announced that there is a Shirobako anime feature movie planned. The movie will be an all-new story. It doesn’t yet have a release date.

Kenroku-en Kanazawa, Japan. By Brian Ashcraft | Instagram 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! 

Track: The Lovers Suicide | Artist: The Bilinda Butchers | Album: The Lovers Suicide (single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Sony’s profit increased 18 percent during the 2017 financial year. According to Sony, this was due to increased PS4 game sales and PlayStation Plus subscribers as well as the foreign exchange rate. Console sales dipped slightly with Sony selling 19 million PS4s worldwide, which was a million less than the previous year.

Nintendo’s E3 2018 Schedule

Earlier this week, Kotaku announced the E3 2018 press conference schedule. At that time, Nintendo had yet to reveal its plans. Now it has. As in previous years, Nintendo is doing a video presentation, which can be watched live at e3.Nintendo.com. It will begin on June 12 at 9 am PT. There will be other…