Ethan Gach

The latest Fortnite update, patch v5.21, went live this morning adding a new limited time mode called Soaring 50s, the Heavy Sniper Rifle discovered previously by data miners, and a sniper only mode. Soaring 50s is the usual 50 vs. 50 mode but with the ability to re-deploy gliders.

The Chinese Room, makers of Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, have been acquired by fellow British studio Sumo Digital. Co-founder Dan Pinchbeck is staying on while Jessica Curry has departed The news comes almost a year after the studio laid off much of its staff and went “dark.”

Gris Looks Beautiful

Gris is one of those great-looking indie games, the type that has no trouble hitting a Kickstarter funding goal, though in this case it was publisher Devolver Digital whose attention it drew after months of sending snippets of art and gameplay footage out onto the wilds of social media. Now it’s headed to Switch and PC…

Bethesda Takes Hard Line On Cross-Play With Its Elder Scrolls Card Game

Bethesda’s VP of marketing said over the weekend that the developer intends for The Elder Scrolls: Legends, Bethesda’s card game, to be fully cross-play, with progress carrying over no matter what system people play it on when it eventually releases on consoles. While not mentioning Sony specifically, the message feels aimed at increasing pressure on…

The PS4’s Livestreaming Hub Still Has More Nudity Than It Probably Should

Live From PlayStation is an an app on PS4 where people can go to see live streams, archived videos, and screenshots being shared by other players, some of which include porn, because in 2018 it’s apparently still possible to get explicit pics trending on PS4. Over the weekend the California-based gamer and and electronic DJ…

Valve Finally Confirms Dota 2’s Latest Loot Box Was Bugged

After days of players complaining of a rare item not dropping in Dota 2’s latest loot box, Valve put out a statement overnight confirming that they were right: Theories that the loot box was bugged weren’t sour grapes, but actually true. On July 31, Valve released “Immortal Treasure III,” the newest Dota 2 loot box…

The Weekend In Esports: Evo 2018, StarCraft II, And More

With the Overwatch League’s inaugural season firmly in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to move on to the fighting game world. This weekend’s Evo is the biggest tournament of the year, starring street fighters, smash brothers (and sisters) and a crap ton of Gokus Evo 2018 will be home to a number of heated rivalries…

Four Years Later, Players Found A Metroid Hidden In Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze

There’s a metroid in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and someone finally found it. The search took four years, but it turns out it’s actually not that hard to find once you know where to look. Players have long suspected there might be more Metroid-themed easter eggs hiding out in Tropical Freeze after seeing Samus’…

Epic Will Keep Fortnite Off Google’s Store To Make More Money

Epic Games has confirmed that when Fortnite Battle Royale releases on Android phones it won’t be sold through the Google Play store. In an email to The Verge, CEO Tim Sweeney said this was in part to avoid the 30% cut Google takes on in-app purchases for games sold through its storefront. “The 30 percent…

In Magic: The Gathering Creator’s New Card Game, Every Deck Is Unique

KeyForge: Call of the Archons bills itself as a card game in which no two decks are the same. Maker Fantasy Flight Games announced it at GenCon 2018 today, revealing that Richard Garfield, veteran designer behind Magic: The Gathering, is working on it. It sounds wild. Games like Magic release new expansions every few months,…

For Honor’s seventh season went live today, including the addition of a new map and reworks to the Warden and Valkyrie classes. The update also adds new legendary gear, an additional 10 reputation levels, and Master and Grandmaster player ranks. Ranked duels will now be in rotation outside of tournaments as well. 

Apple’s New Policy Hurts Mobile Game Review Sites

Apple is ending its affiliate program for apps which could mean the end of review sites like TouchArcade that have relied on a cut from Apple to keep their mobile game review sites afloat. The tech giant made the announcement in its August newsletter saying that members of the program will stop receiving commissions starting…

I’ll Really Miss GameStop’s Elite Pro Program

Yesterday, video game retailer GameStop sent out an email to members of its PowerUp Rewards Elite Pro program saying that it is coming to an end as of today, August 1. Surely the end times are near. I am an Elite Pro. But not for much longer. My subscription expires in 87 days. At that…

Chasm: The Kotaku Review 

I went into Chasm searching for something that would knock me on my ass. What I found was entertaining, but nothing more. Plenty of secrets, hidden dangers, and mysterious evils lurk deep within Chasm’s side-scrolling labyrinth, which is made lively and vibrant thanks to some truly amazing pixel art. Halfway through 2018 though, there’s almost…

The Dog Behind One Of Twitch’s Oldest Emotes Has Died

FrankerZ is a Twitch emote dating back to 2012 that connotes playful sarcasm. But he was inspired by a real dog, Frankie, whose owners confirmed earlier today had died. He was eight years old. Twitch as a platform also tweeted out the news later in the day. “We are saddened to hear about the passing…

Donut County, another one of those beautiful looking indie games that never seems to come out, finally has a release date of August 28 on iOS, PC, and PS4. There’s a new launch trailer and everything, and guess what, it still looks like a wonderfully chill time. 

Possible Reasons Why A Hedge Fund Manager Is Betting $400 Million Against Nintendo

Earlier today, Nintendo’s quarterly earnings report showed mixed signals; operating profits were up, but Switch sales and software attach rates were down. That all must have meant something to the Wall Street investor who gambled hundreds of millions on the assumption that the video game giant is about to hit a major snag in the…

Fortnite’s new update is now live, bringing back a nerfed Guided Missile and Jetpacks in a new limited time mode aptly titled “Fly Explosives.” Both are also now available in Playground Mode. Slurp Juice is also back after last week’s update broke it. I had some this morning. It was good.  

Hell Is Watching Smash Bros. Characters Dance Like They’re In Fortnite

Our time on this planet is limited, but please spend a moment of it feasting on the internet’s latest abomination. YouTuber Master0fHyrule has made a lot of videos about Super Smash Bros. Usually they’re just lists, like this one showing off every character’s taunt or this other one showing off every character’s taunt in reverse.…

Gran Turismo Sport Gets Microtransactions A Year After Series Producer Said It Wouldn’t

Gran Turismo Sport’s July update is now live, adding a new race track and more cars. It’s also introduced microtransactions, something the series producer said last summer the game wouldn’t have. As of today, players can now purchase cars outright for cash as long as they cost less than 2,000,000 in in-game currency. The change…