Jason Schreier

There’s an article in the New York Times today about crunch in the video game industry and how it destroys people’s lives. The writer seems like a real jerk, but the op-ed is worth reading.

Thousands Of NeoGAF Users Flock To New Website

Last weekend’s NeoGAF implosion was upsetting to anyone who enjoyed reading and posting on the influential gaming message board. Fortunately for them, a new option has already emerged. On Wednesday night a group of former GAF users launched ResetEra, a clean new message board with sections for discussing video games and other topics (“EtcetEra”). As…

There’ll be a Nintendo Direct on October 24 at 11pm Eastern, this time for the Animal Crossing mobile game. “There will be no updates on any other topics including other mobile, Nintendo Switch or Nintendo 3DS software,” says Nintendo.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole Yells At You If You Try To Cheat

The newest South Park game is full of funny moments and easter eggs, but here’s one you might not catch, because it requires you to break the rules. Early in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, once the kids have given up on playing fantasy and switched to superheroes, you’re told to find a way…

South Park: The Fractured But Whole: The Kotaku Review

Early in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, you go up against an enemy kid who cheats. He complains that your last attack shouldn’t count, which heals him to full strength. Then, whining that you didn’t listen when he called “time out,” he steals your turn. It’s an enjoyable reminder of the game’s stakes. Despite…

EA Shuts Down Visceral Games

EA is shutting down Visceral Games, the studio behind games like Battlefield Hardline and Dead Space, the publisher said today. The Star Wars game in development at Visceral will be revamped and move to a different studio, EA says, although it will now be something completely different. “Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure…

Former Naughty Dog Employee Says He Was Fired After Filing Sexual Harassment Complaint

A former employee of the highly-regarded video game development studio Naughty Dog has accused the company of terminating him after he says he filed a complaint that he was sexually harassed by someone else at the studio. In a statement, Naughty Dog says it has no record of these allegations. In conversations with Kotaku, current…

Why Loot Boxes Make People So Angry

It’s the 100th episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, and to celebrate, we’re… talking about video games, loot boxes, and much more. First, Kirk and I reminisce a bit about 2+ years of Splitscreen. Then we get into news talk (19:09) about loot boxes, Oculus Go, and Valve’s Orange Box turning 10. Then we talk South Park,…

South Park: The Fractured But Whole will get two downloadable story packs—“From Dusk till Casa Bonita” and “Bring the Crunch.” In the first, you’ll fight goths in Casa Bonita; the second will presumably feature Mintberry Crunch. They’ll each cost $12 or you can get them, along with some other challenges and costumes, as part of…

Last Night’s South Park Was A Prequel To Fractured But Whole

“You can’t do a prequel first,” says one of the characters in Wednesday’s episode of South Park, ‘Franchise Prequel.’ “Then it’s not a prequel. It’s just… first.” This line is both a dig at the episode itself and part of the conflict that sets up the events of the upcoming game, South Park: The Fractured…

ESRB Says It Doesn’t See ‘Loot Boxes’ As Gambling

Over the past few weeks, as randomized loot boxes have dominated the conversation surrounding this fall’s video games, there have been calls for the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to classify them as gambling in its back-of-the-box ratings. But the ESRB says that’s not going to happen—because according to a spokesperson, loot boxes don’t fit…

Fall Loot Box Glut Leads To Widespread Alarm

Few things in video games are as addictive as the dopamine rush of randomized loot. And, when it’s tied to real money, few things make people as angry. As we enter the year’s busiest game season, it’s fair to wonder: Do we have a loot box epidemic? It started with Shadow of War, which gave…

Assassin’s Creed Origins‘ DLC Lets You Fight Zombie Pharaohs

Ubisoft today revealed details for Assassin Creeds Origins’ upcoming downloadable content, and it will involve Romans, mythological beasts, and zombie pharaohs. Here’s the full breakdown of the game’s $40 season pass: DLC 1 – The Hidden Ones: This story-driven expansion builds upon the growth of the Brotherhood, taking players years after the events of Assassin’s…

SNES Classic Hacking Is Moving Rapidly

The Super Nintendo Classic has been out only a week and already there are videos circulating about how to add your own games. Like the NES Classic before it, this new retro device seems prime for emulation, and progress is moving very fast. There’s no way to officially add new Super Nintendo games to the…

Help I Don’t Know What To Do With These Damn PS2 And Wii Games

Yesterday I performed the holy ritual of moving to a new apartment, which means that my body is sore and there’s unassembled furniture everywhere. Also, I don’t know what to do with my old video games. While unpacking boxes yesterday, I dug up a bag full of PS2 and Wii games that I haven’t touched…

Watch Us Get Nostalgic With Mario And Zelda On The SNES Classic

Yesterday on Twitch, we spent some time getting nostalgic all up on the SNES Classic. If you missed it, you can catch the whole stream right here. We beat Super Mario World (after a brief hiccup in the Star Road), play through the first dungeon of Link to the Past, and shoot some spaceships in…

Destiny 1 Xbox Players Can Now Finally Get Everything, Two Years Later

Destiny, a video game in which big publishers make mega-deals to deprive players of content and then somehow convince fans that this is a good thing, is no longer relevant thanks to the recent release of Destiny 2. But hey, Xbox players, at least now you can get Jade Rabbit. As of this week, Destiny’s…

Watch Us Play Ni no Kuni II

Yesterday in New York City, I had a chance to sit down with an early build of the beautiful upcoming role-playing game Ni no Kuni II. It is much, much different than its predecessor. Here are two video clips from the second Ni no Kuni, which comes out January 19 for PS4 and PC. In…

The PS4’s “5.00″ firmware update hit today, and for something called 5.00, it sure is flimsy. With tweaks to messages and a new feature called Team Tournaments, this feels more like an incremental patch than a big update.

What Video Game Levels Look Like Before They’re Finished

Ever wanted a glimpse at what games like Uncharted 4 and Titanfall look like before they’re finished? During production on a video game, level designers work with what they call “greyboxes,” or rough layouts that use ugly geometric models to determine the outlines of each level before they make everything pretty. To celebrate these greyboxes…