Jason Schreier

The Next Call of Duty Is Called Modern Warfare (Yep, Really)

The first Modern Warfare was called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, so it’s only natural that the fourth Modern Warfare is called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Confused yet? That’s video games for you. News of this year’s strangely named Call of Duty leaked out via YouTuber LongSensation this morning. Activision has been showing…

U.S. Senator Says His Anti-Loot Box Bill Has The Video Game Industry Worried

Is Republican senator Josh Hawley an advocate for video game players or an ambitious politician with a savvy staff who know a win-win argument when they see one? The freshman senator from Missouri, who plans to soon introduce a bill that will ban loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions, spoke to Kotaku yesterday about his plans.…

Game of Thrones Just Needed More Time

Game of Thrones has come to an end, and with it, so has Kotaku Splitscreen’s very special run of bonus recaps. BUT FIRST: The final episode. Kirk and I discuss the events of “The Iron Throne,” the series finale of Game of Thrones. We talk about what we liked (the first 20 minutes) and what…

Sources: Call of Duty 2020 In Upheaval As Treyarch Takes Over, Plans Black Ops 5

Next year’s Call of Duty has gone through a major upheaval, as publisher Activision informed developers this week that studios Raven and Sledgehammer, which had until now led the project, will no longer be in charge. Instead, according to three people familiar with goings-on at the companies, Treyarch will lead development on a new Black…

As Cyberpunk 2077 Development Intensifies, CD Projekt Red Pledges To Be ‘More Humane’ To Its Workers

Footage of the upcoming role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077 has blown away fans so far, but coupled with that hype is a burning question: Are workers at CD Projekt Red, the Polish studio behind the game, ruining their lives to make it? The developer best known for The Witcher series has cultivated a reputation for crunch—asking…

That annoying Final Fantasy VII music bug is fixed on Switch and Xbox One thanks to a patch that went live today. Until now, the music had started from scratch after every random encounter—a problem that was far more annoying in practice than it seemed on paper.

Microsoft Announces Minecraft Earth, A Minecraft Version Of Pokémon Go

In a move that’s equal parts surprising, inevitable, and brilliant, Microsoft today announced Minecraft Earth, an augmented reality game that will let people build all sorts of blocky creations as they’re walking down streets and trying not to get hit by cars. It’ll be out later this year for phones, with a beta hitting this…

Bungie Is Nerfing Destiny 2‘s Best Guns, And Players Aren’t Pleased

There hasn’t been much to complain about in Destiny 2 recently, which is perhaps why Bungie decided to spice things up last night and announce plans to weaken some of the game’s most useful gear, including Whisper of the Worm and Sleeper Simulant. Players are… well… let’s take a look at the Destiny subreddit. The…

How Final Fantasy IX‘s Strategy Guide Turned Out So Horrible (And Other Answers From A Veteran Guide Writer)

“The thing about strategy guide publishing is that it’s a parasitic industry,” says Doug Walsh, who spent 18 years writing video game guides for the two biggest publishers, BradyGames and Prima. Perhaps that’s why the infamous Final Fantasy IX guide turned out the way it did. Today, Walsh is publishing The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from…

Super Mario Maker 2 Has A Story Mode And Much More

The sequel to Super Mario Maker will have a story mode, unlike its predecessor, Nintendo said today in a Nintendo Direct dedicated to the game. In said story mode, you’ll get to rebuild Princess Peach’s destroyed castle by playing through courses to earn coins for the reconstruction effort. Plus: lots, lots more. Over the course…

Ubisoft’s multiplayer pirate game, Skull & Bones, is delayed indefinitely and won’t be at this year’s E3. The game’s creative director, Justin Farren, left late last year, so it’s safe to say development has been struggling. If and when we next see Skull & Bones, it will likely be very different.

Game of Thrones Is Too Far Gone To Save

When the dust is all settled and the fire has turned into ashes, one thing about Game of Thrones will always be clear: They shouldn’t have tried to end the whole damn show in 13 episodes. We spoil the episode in its entirety, and also talk about differences between the show and the books. However,…

Destiny 2’s new season will go live on June 4, and alongside it there will be a brand new raid. Rather than give players a few days to grind for levels, Bungie is letting everyone access the raid on day one this time around. Recommended power for the first encounter? 715.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake Finally Re-Emerges

After a long period of development hell, the Final Fantasy VII remake is finally back in the real world, with Square Enix dropping a short teaser trailer today and promising more to come in June. It looks great. First announced at E3 2015, the Final Fantasy VII remake went through some mysterious problems, with Square…

In the grand tradition of Ubisoft games leaking early, a store listing has revealed Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, the new Tom Clancy game that the publisher has been teasing recently. It’s a sequel to Wildlands, according to the leak. More tomorrow at 2:30pm ET

U.S. Senator Introduces Bill To Ban Loot Boxes And Pay-To-Win Microtransactions

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) today announced a bill that would ban loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions in “games played by minors,” a broad label that the senator says will include both games designed for kids under 18 and games “whose developers knowingly allow minor players to engage in microtransactions.” Hawley will introduce the bill, “The…

Game of Thrones Is Starting To Make Less And Less Sense

Why is everyone on Game of Thrones making so many bad decisions all the time? Are the showrunners just sick of it? And why will nobody pet Ghost? This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, we discuss. We spoil the episode in its entirety, and also talk about differences between the show and the books. However, we…

The Comic Moments We Loved Most In Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was three hours of wonderful fanservice in what was ultimately the first TV series finale we’ve seen in a movie theater. This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, we discuss. First, Kirk, Maddy, and I talk about the games we’ve been playing, like Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Danganronpa. Then…

Castlevania spiritual successor Bloodstained will be out on June 18 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC (June 25 for Switch), the developers said today. You can watch the ridiculous new launch trailer, complete with promises to address all of those player complaints, right here.

Final Fantasy XII Is Great On Switch

The Final Fantasy XII remake came to Switch this week, and the good news is that it runs pretty well in handheld mode. The even better news is that it’s got some killer features that should probably have been in the game from the start, which sure sucks for anyone who bought it two years…