Brian Ashcraft

The Minecraft movie (yes, there’s going to be a Minecraft movie) will be out on May 24, 2019. According to Mojang, it will be released in 3D and IMAX.

Inside a High-Quality Japanese Figurine Factory 

This is a rarity. These days, most anime figures are produced in China. Good Smile Company, however, has a factory in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, producing high-quality collectibles. Let’s take a look inside. Recently, Japanese TV show Gacchiri Monday visited the factory, which opened in late 2014. Besides shaping the figures, everything is done by hand…

Quick update: Primitiva, a Chilean VFX and animation company, let Kotaku know that a Nico Nico user was apparently taking credit for theCG burger it had created. The story has been updated to credit Primitiva.

View from Roppongi Tower. Tokyo, Japan. By Erick Fernandez. 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: Waiting | Artist: The Rentals | Album: Return of the Rentals Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

This CG Hamburger Looks Delicious [Update]

This burger might not be real, but my hunger is. Update – June 28 12:30am: An earlier version of this story linked a Nico Nico uploader who claimed to have created this work. It seems that is not true. Instead, it was created by the folks at Primitiva, a VFX and animation company in Santiago,…

PlayStation 1’s Most Unusual Japanese Box Art

The PlayStation 1 got an array of games. Some were good, some were bad and some had odd box art. “Odd,” however, isn’t a bad thing at all. Considering how video game box art can sometimes feel similar, you have to applaud the bold graphic design choices that were made. They don’t always work, but…

With E3 over, now is as good a time for another friendly reminder that Capcom’s Deep Down is still M.I.A. The last time the game’s website was updated was December 25, 2014, and the last activity on its official Twitter was a retweet from March 23, 2015.

There’s a new Professor Layton in development, reports Famitsu. The game, which is apparently part of the mainline series, doesn’t seem as though it will star Layton as its protagonist. Details are scant and more will be revealed next month at the Level-5 Vision event in Japan.

Wow, Terra Formars, This Animation Looks Bad

With thebrutal schedules animators are faced with, it’s not surprising that sometimes less than stellar work slips through. However, even by those subpar standards, the last episode of Terra Formars Revenge featured some truly awful animation. Via anime site Yaraon Blog, here are the bits in question. (While the show has had spotty parts, keep…

Level-5 is working on a new entry in its soccer-themed RPG Inazuma Eleven, Famitsu reports. The game will feature a new protagonist and is set on an island in the shape of the Japanese character イ (which is written as “i” in Roman letters). More will be revealed next month at the Level-5 Vision event.

Tuna Sign. Tsukiji Market, Tokyo, Japan. By Hannes Bohn 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: Someday My Prince Will Come (Live) | Artist: Bill Evans | Album: N/A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The Ring VR Shows Japanese Horror Isn’t Easy

After seeing Japanese horror movie Sadako vs. Kayako, Twitter user Tatsunoru decided to make a Sadako VR prototype, starring, well, Sadako from the horror classic The Ring (above). In the demo, Sadako dials the phone, climbs out of the well and through the television, and then kills her victim. It’s easier said than done because…

Sounds like Daigo Umehara thinks Street Fighter V needs an arcade release in Japan. Event Hubs reported he wondered if the game will still be played next year. Umehara added that the lack of an arcade release was a problem for Japanese gamers.

For a Japanese Prank, This Is Pretty Good

It’s such a simple idea: Famous Japanese people unknowingly walking, running and falling into holes. Above, that’s Olympic silver medalist judoka Shinichi Shinohara. These days, he appears on Japanese variety shows and in television commercials. Recently, he was told to show up in Attack on Titan make-up to shoot an ad. Then, this happened: Of…

The live-action Tokyo Ghoul movie has its lead actors: Masataka Kubota will play Tokyo Ghoul protagonist Ken Kaneki and Fumika Shimizu will play Touka Kirishima. The Tokyo Ghoul is slated to open in summer 2017 in Japan.

Track: What’s Going On (Live) | Artist: Marvin Gaye | Album: What’s Going On Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Splatoon VR Hack Straps A Wii U GamePad To Your Back

Seems like good a place as any to strap a GamePad, no? Over on Kougaku Navi (via Engadget), they’ve got a Splatoon VR hack that uses the PlayStation VR Sony HMD headset, a modded water gun controller, and the previously mentioned Wii U GamePad. Right now, they’re on version 3.0. It’s rough, ramshackle and a…

The multiplayer online for Wii U title Devil’s Third will end in Japan on December 29, Inside reports. In-game microtransactions are also shutting down, and the game will be marked down to 3,618 yen (US$35) from June 24 in Japan. No word on similar changes to the game internationally.