Zack Kotzer, Author at Kotaku

Google’s Finnish Data Centers Were Already In Trouble Over Deforestation, Then The Wolves Came

Wildlife have slowly relocated into towns and cities due to environmental collapse, but a controversial data center in Finland suggests this phenomenon can now occur overnight with help from AI

By Zack Kotzer Published October 25, 2026

Culture

Following Cancelled Concert, Umamusume Fans Give Knott’s Berry Farm Blacksmith Busiest Day Of His Life

While stricter visa policies scrapped the American concert stop, Pretty Derby die-hards weren’t deterred, hitting the old west and getting horseshoes engraved with their favorite characters

By Zack Kotzer Published October 25, 2026

Culture

13 Short And Sweet Scary Games To Treat Yourself To Before Halloween

If you're lagging behind on your annual intake of ghouls and goblins, enjoy this selection of brief creeps, from retro classics to odd indie frights

By Zack Kotzer Published October 25, 2026

Culture

With A Marvel-Sized Budget, Elden Ring Will Be A24’s Most Expensive Movie To Date

The trend-setting studio is betting $200 million on Alex Garland’s FromSoftware adaptation, having only seen that kind of box office mojo once with Backrooms

By Zack Kotzer Published October 25, 2026

Culture

Xbox Reportedly Chased $800 Million Netflix Exclusivity Deal To Develop Movies, Shows Based On Games

According to industry insiders, Netflix was only willing to offer $500 million

By Zack Kotzer Published October 24, 2026

Culture

Legend Of Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma Knighted By French Ministry Of Culture

The longtime caretaker of the Zelda series traveled to Paris to receive his title, honored for inspiring the world’s 'imagination'

By Zack Kotzer Published October 24, 2026

Culture

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Director Says There’s Probably No Such Thing As ‘Perfected’ Matchmaking

With the latest Call of Duty landing, seemingly without matchmaking features, multiplayer director Joe Cecot says he doesn't believe a system to satisfy all is possible

By Zack Kotzer Published October 24, 2026

Culture

Xbox’s Chief Operating Officer Out Three Months After Role’s Creation

As turmoil continues to pile up, Microsoft veteran Helen Chiang departs the company just a few months after taking a newly created post to assure long-term stability

By Zack Kotzer Published October 24, 2026

Culture

MrBeast Joins Shark Tank, Invests Quarter Million In AI-Powered ‘Ball 2’

Mr. Wonderful inversely appeared uninterested in the foam orb, not seeing how it could distinguish itself among other, more popular balls

By Zack Kotzer Published October 18, 2026

Culture

Video Game Decomp Hub Closes Due To AI: ‘The Community Aspect Of Decompilation Has Been Broken’

An integral step towards mods, ports and patches, the popular decomp.dev decided the platform has been rendered obsolete by 'drive-by contributions'

By Zack Kotzer Published October 18, 2026

Culture

The Most Compelling Lovecraft Video Game Is About Hundreds Of Adorable Penguins

Penguin Colony tears down colonial overtones of H.P. Lovecraft's works by removing the player from any anthropological sensibilities, exhuming the genre instead of excusing it

By Zack Kotzer Published October 18, 2026

Culture

The PlayStation 6’s Memory Components Alone Could Cost More Than $700

The speculated price tags on the next generation of consoles already have fans sweating as the AI-driven crunch shows no end in sight

By Zack Kotzer Published October 18, 2026

Culture

The Mortuary Assistant Film Director Jeremiah Kipp Passes Away

The underground horror community is mourning a charitable filmmaker, who sharpened his fangs on numerous indie scares

By Zack Kotzer Published October 17, 2026

Culture

Car Park Capital Is The World’s Most Evil Simulator (Complimentary)

Step into Robert Moses’ shoes as you dismantle civilization and ensure these little computer people never witness a 15-minute city in their lifetime

By Zack Kotzer Published October 17, 2026

Culture

Debra Wilson Also Confused On Why Games Keep Using Her Likeness

In an interview with Joseph Shepherd, the prolific Wolverine and Wolfenstein voice actor addresses the amusing trend, but says she prefers to play characters that don’t resemble her

By Zack Kotzer Published October 17, 2026

Culture

Smash Bros. Player Barred From Competing Over Bed Bug Drama

Announcing a hiatus, Melee pro Jason ‘Mew2King’ Zimmerman says he regrets posting the now viral photos and would have stepped back if he believed the community was at risk

By Zack Kotzer Published October 17, 2026

Culture

Cult-Classic Wing Commander 3 Will Get A Remaster Over 30 Years Later

Using recently discovered master tapes of its live action sequences, one of the crown jewels of '90s PC gaming could make an unexpected comeback

By Zack Kotzer Published October 11, 2026

Culture

Arrow Co-Creator Gives Fans A Glimpse Of The Lanterns Show That Could Have Been

While HBO’s series ultimately charmed skeptics, Marc Guggenheim shared concept art of what could have been a more CW approach to Green Lantern

By Zack Kotzer Published October 11, 2026

Culture

European Regulators Want To Crack Down On Gaming’s Oldest Monetization Trick

As courts around the globe scrutinize predatory payment systems, Italian regulators are leading the charge against misaligned in-game currencies

By Zack Kotzer Published October 11, 2026

Culture

Nicolas Cage Says He’s Done Working With Amazon After Refusing AI On Spider-Noir: ‘I Am Not An AI Friendly Actor’

Somehow the praise over the actor’s hardline decision making has also unearthed that Cage is a massive Bomberman Hero fan as well

By Zack Kotzer Published October 11, 2026