Luke Plunkett

Here’s the story behind Windows XP’s iconic default wallpaper, whose photographer says he was paid “the second-largest sum received by a living photographer for a single photograph” when he signed its rights away to Microsoft.

Sports Illustrated have published a great oral history of the original NBA Jam’s development, which includes gems like “I was down on the monster dunks, I have to admit. I loved the NBA for what it was; I didn’t want to turn this into a clown show.”

“Morally Indefensible” Fallout 4 Commercial Leads To Lawsuit

Singer Dion DiMucci, best known for 60s hits like Runaround Sue and The Wanderer, is taking the parent company of Fallout 4 developer Bethesda to court over the use of one of his songs in a commercial, which he found “repugnant”. The commercial in question is this one, which features DiMucci’s The Wanderer playing over…

Symmetra Is Overpowered In Real Life

Here’s a video of someone cosplaying as Symmetra’s microwave attack, which not only features some very good Symmetra cosplay, but also a cameo from the character’s voice actor, Anjali Bhimani. Symmetra is Utahime, while the microwave is D Piddy

An Old City In A New Light

Michał Sawtyruk is an artist from Poland who has worked for companies like Dreamworks and Platige, the studio behind The Witcher’s Netflix series (and some other cool stuff). You can see more of Michał’s workat his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner.…

Hearthstone’s Next Expansion Is All About The Lich King

Hearthstone’s next expansion, announced tonight, is called Knights of the Frozen Throne It takes the game’s nine heroes, kills them then recasts them as undead Death Knights, raised from the grave by the Lich King himself: Each Death Knight was once a mighty hero of Azeroth—but after the Lich King raises a hero from the…

Nintendo x Diablo Cosplay Was The Star Of Anime Expo

Anime Expo is usually home to some of the year’s best cosplay, and 2017 was no exception. While we’ll be providing a bigger roundup of the whole show next week, I wanted to go early with this incredible shoot featuring a Nintendo x Diablo crossover. In case you can’t make it out, what you’re seeing…

Sydney Hotel Is On Some Deus Ex Shit

While capsule hotels are nothing new in the real world, having been a staple of Japanese accommodation options for decades, a new business in Sydney called…The Capsule Hotel is taking the sci-fi inspiration very literally. Look at these designs! These aren’t practical cabins, these are a straight up homage to stuff like Fifth Element and…

Mario Maker’s “Trials of Death” Level Hurts Just To Look At It

This Super Mario Maker level is called Trials of Death, a level so tough the guy who made it has been trying for over a year to complete it. There’s a great interview up with its creator Braden “ChainChompBraden” Moor over on Waypoint, who has spent 1500 hours trying to beat it. Without success. If…

Those who prefer Total War’s historical games to its Warhammer outing should keep an eye on Total War Saga, a new series of “standalone spin-off titles focusing on exciting pivotal moments in history.”

Spider-Man Cosplay Is Coming Home

A new Spider-Man movie is out this week, and Spider-Man cosplayers are clearly feeling excited, especially if they happen to live in New York City and can take photos that look this good/appropriate. Spider-Man is TrevRay, while photos were taken by Jason Laboy. There are more shots, including Iron Man and some street thugs, at…

Battleships Are Cool

Kevin Goeke is an artist who has worked for companies like Fantasy Flight. You can see more of Kevin’s art at his personal site To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the…

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, Explained In One Map

There’s a lot to learn when you’re first starting out in Battlegrounds. Where you’re more likely to find guns, where you should look for cars, etc. And while there are some very good tips out there, none are as concise as this map. Done by Gett_Got, it’s 50% comedy, 50% genuinely useful guide on where…

8Bitdo Controllers: The Kotaku Review

8Bitdo’s small, portable control pads are perfect for those times when…look, let’s be real, for when you’re playing emulated Nintendo games on a mobile device. WHAT THEY’RE FOR: Most 8Bitdo controllers are not frontline control pads, designed to replace stuff like a DualShock 4 or Switch Pro. These are small, light controllers designed primarily for…

Assassin’s Creed Is Getting An “Anime Series”

Adi Shankar, producer of the animated Castlevania series starting on Netflix this week, has just announced his next project: an anime adaptation of Assassin’s Creed In a Facebook post, Shankar writes: I’m happy to let you guys know that I’ve selected my next project! I played the first edition of Assassin’s Creed the year I…

Overwatch vs Overwatch

Robert Kim is a concept artist and illustrator based in Canada. You can see more of Robert’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of…

Track: Throne of Fire | Artist: Conan | Album: Revengeance Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Epic Sax Guy, Meet Dark Souls

When Old Memes go up against Popular Video Games, courtesy of a mod for the PC version of Dark Souls, who comes out on top? It’s the mod. Mostly for that keyboard shield. Via Kotaku Australia

In the latest episode of the wonderful Toco Toco TV, the final in the first series, they sat down with Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi for a chat about his work and inspiration.