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CultureOverwatch‘s Newest Hero Is Echo, A Long-Awaited AI Robot
Seven months after the release of its last new hero, Overwatch is finally getting a new one. Echo, who players of the popular team shooter have been salivating over ever since she made her cinematic debut in the 2018 trailer that introduced Ashe, will be playable “soon.” Today, Blizzard posted a trailer officially introducing Echo.…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 18, 2020 -
CultureHow’s It Going?: Books Edition
Good morning! We’re back with our daily open thread for you to share, vent, and celebrate the good you can find going on around you. Last night I texted the other people living in my building to let them know I’m around if they need anything. I’d put it off for a while because it…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 18, 2020 -
CultureThere’s An Official MapleStory Gaming Chair And It’s Precious
Everybody deserves a fancy gaming chair. That includes players of a 17-year-old side-scrolling 2D Korean MMO. Nexon America has partnered with gaming chair maker DXRacer to create this adorable $380 pink, purple, and white seating surface based on MapleStory’s Pink Bean. Think all gaming chairs look like they rolled off the same assembly line? The…
By Mike Fahey Published March 18, 2020 -
CultureHearthstone Adds First New Class Since Launch: Demon Hunters
After six years of card-battling Mages, Priests, Shamans, Warriors, Rogues, Hunters, Warlocks, and Paladins, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft-inspired trading card game finally gets some new blood. The Demon Hunter arrives on April 7 as part of the Ashes of Outland expansion. The first new class added to Hearthstone since its 2014 launch, the Demon Hunter…
By Mike Fahey Published March 18, 2020 -
CultureAnimal Crossing: New Horizons Doesn’t Care If Boys Wear Skirts, Whatever, It’s 2020
Despite being pretty good about letting players do what they want, the Animal Crossing series only recently made clothing gender neutral. New Leaf, released on the 3DS in 2012, was the first game to allow players to wear clothes traditionally meant for a different gender, and New Horizons takes that a little further by removing…
By Ian Walker Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureThe Best Part Of Destiny 2’s New Exotic Quest Is The Mixtape In Zavala’s Office
Today’s Destiny 2 weekly reset marks the return of the Fourth Horseman shotgun from the original Destiny. Instead of grinding for it, though, I’m currently sitting in Zavala’s office getting pumped up on his workout mixtape. The first part of the “In Rides A Pale Horse” quest has you visiting the Vanguard titan’s personal workstation…
By Ethan Gach Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureAll The Announcements From Today’s Nintendo Indie Direct
Today’s indie-focused Nintendo Direct was chock full of timed Switch exclusives. Here’s a quick rundown of what you missed if you were spending your quarantine time staring at a wall in anticipation of Animal Crossing instead of staring at Nintendo’s YouTube channel in anticipation of Animal Crossing Today’s Direct was a rapid-fire machine gun blast…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureGameStop Cancels Midnight Release Events For Animal Crossing And Doom
GameStop will be canceling midnight release events, like those for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal, for the foreseeable future and shutting down demo stations in their stores, according to an internal memo sent to employees this morning and obtained by Kotaku “Until further notice, late night launch events are suspended,” the memo reads.…
By Ian Walker Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureUbisoft CEO Sends Comforting Note To Employees About Coronavirus
In a world where video game publishers frequently mistreat their workers, where companies often seem more concerned with profits than people, here is a refreshing note from one top executive about the covid-19 pandemic that has upended all of our lives. Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot recently sent this message, obtained by Kotaku, to…
By Jason Schreier Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureHow’s It Going?
Good morning! We’re doing something different, starting today: every morning, Kotaku will be running an open thread where you can talk about what you’re playing, how you’re helping each other during this tough time in the world, and how you’re doing. I run the site’s weekly “What Are You Playing This Weekend?” post, where you…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureNo Man’s Sky Is Getting Bobbleheads
Party like it’s 1999 by adding one of No Man Sky’s new custom bobbleheads to your spaceship cockpit. In Hello Games latest development update the studio announced the figurines will be a new exotic collectible sold by the Quicksilver Bot and can be installed in in any spaceship. The first two to be added to…
By Ethan Gach Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureYou Will Break A Lot Of Noses In Fights In Tight Spaces
A new indie game looks to take action movie brawls and gamify the hell out of them. The result looks like a lot of broken bones. From the indie studios Mode 7 (makers of Frozen Synapse) and Ground Shatter, Fights in Tight Spaces is a fighting game where all of your moves are performed by…
By Ethan Gach Published March 17, 2020 -
CultureGameStop’s Employees Fear Its Coronavirus Policies Are Dangerously Flawed
Last week, GameStop sent an email to its customers assuring them that the gaming retail chain was taking the necessary precautions in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Some employees, however, have shared concerns with Kotaku about the company’s ability to keep them and their customers safe. GameStop’s message to consumers was that the company…
By Ian Walker Published March 16, 2020 -
CultureTokido Finally Gets His Decisive Street Fighter V Win Against Daigo
Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi might be one of the greatest fighting game players of all time, but that doesn’t keep him from being haunted by his own demons. During last weekend’s TOPANGA Championship, he finally felled fellow legend Daigo Umehara in a lengthy Street Fighter V match, securing a victory two years in the making. Since…
By Ian Walker Published March 16, 2020 -
CultureStar Wars: Battlefront II Gives Out Double XP Because Of Pandemic
The developers behind Battlefront 2 are taking up a fan suggestion on Reddit by doubling XP for players for the game for the next two weeks. They’re doing it as more and more people stay indoors to try and slow the global outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus. “We’re turning on x2 Experience in Star Wars…
By Ethan Gach Published March 16, 2020 -
CultureCall of Duty: Warzone Players Are Killing Each Other With ‘Non-Lethal’ Rocks
What is a bullet, I ask you, if not a small rock hurled in a creative fashion with intent to cause maximum harm? With this in mind, I’d like to posit that Call of Duty: Warzone players who’ve figured out how to kill each other with rocks are, in fact, fully within the spirit of…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 16, 2020 -
CultureMarco Rubio Says Stop Spreading Rumors About Tekken Character Marshall Law
In this time of pandemic and national emergencies, disinformation is a serious problem. That’s why Marco Rubio, the senior United States senator from Florida, wants to make one thing clear during this ongoing crisis: You people need to shut up about Tekken character Marshall Law. “Please stop spreading stupid rumors about marshall law. COMPLETELY FALSE,”…
By Ian Walker Published March 16, 2020 -
CultureThe Xbox Series X Controller Is Subtly Different
There are obvious differences between the controller for the Xbox Series X and the current Xbox One controller. The directional pad has changed, and there is a share button now. Then there are features like new textures and rounded bumpers, small changes that could make a big difference in controller comfort for many people. In…
By Mike Fahey Published March 16, 2020
