Culture

Korean TV’s Food-Slapping Trope 

In 2014, South Korean TV drama Everbody Kimchi featured one epic kimchi slap. It was not an isolated incident. Korean dramas are no stranger to painful slaps—with food or without. Keep in mind, these programs are soap operas. Just like in the West, they are overblown and overwrought, hence the hyperbolic and humiliating food slapping.…

In Open-World Fantasy Eastshade, You Don’t Kill, You Paint

To hear other villagers tell it, the man was an abusive father. He stood in the middle of his dimly-lit cottage with a jar stuck on his head, and I knew it was time to strike. He’d never see it coming. I pulled out my canvas, and I began to paint. Eastshade, coming to PC…

Cosplay For a Very Good Cause

Cap for Kids are a group of cosplayers who travel the country dressed as characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America. Where most would simply be doing this for fun, they’re doing it with something else in mind: helping sick kids, and the families who are caring for them. Launched in 2015, the group…

Cleared For Take Off

Iain Matthiae is a concept artist, illustrator and creature designer based in Minnesota. You can see more of Iain’s work 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…

After Nearly A Decade Of Development, Spy Party Is Looking Great

In most multiplayer video games, you’re on equal footing with your opponents. You’re on the same map, with the same moves and tools, and the more skilled player will theoretically win. That’s not the case with Spy Party, a two-player game where each player’s role couldn’t be more different. Last week at the Game Developers…

Track: Honnou | Artist: Sheena Ringo | Album: Shouso Strip Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Hey What’s Under Toad’s Hat Oh Never Mind

Cody Bond is an artist, illustrator and animator. You’re about to see a lot of very good Nintendo gifs. You can see more of Cody’s work 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…

The Best Cosplay From WonderCon 2018

Wondercon ran from March 24-26 at the Anaheim Convention Centre, and yes, there was some very good cosplay on display. Photographer Jason Laboy was there taking some shots which he’s been kind enough to share with Kotaku; you can see a lot more at his website. Note: this being a con it was tough getting…

Vegeta is Leo Camacho, Trunks is Galactic Spidey. Photo by nels

Yakuza 6 Has The Best Baby In Video Games

Video game stories are for angry people with guns, not tiny humans with squishy fingers

The Running Man Is Way Better, And Worse, Than You Remember

Before The Hunger Games, before Battle Royale, there was another movie based on a book about a dystopian future where an evil government distracts the masses with a popular series of gladiatorial deathmatches. Runners, are you ready for… The Running Man? Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on 6/20/2014. We’re bumping it up because damn…

SimCity Designer Will Wright Saved Double Fine From Going Bankrupt

If not for the director of SimCity selling his company to Electronic Arts, we might not have Psychonauts, Broken Age, or anything else from Double Fine. Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, the full story. Last week at the Game Developers Conference, Double Fine boss Tim Schafer won a Lifetime Achievement award for his decades of work…

Track: Copenhagen | Artist: Orbital | Album: Copenhagen Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Pepsi Launches J-Cola, A Special Pepsi Aimed At Japan

This is Pepsi J-Cola. According to website NariNari, it is aimed at Japan’s cola-loving “heavy users.” That’s exactly what NariNari wrote: ヘビーユーザー (hebiiyuuzaa), which is, of course, what’s used in the cola industry to refer to people who drink loads of the fizzy beverage. J-Cola was developed after getting feedback from over a hundred Japanese…

Track: Used Future | Artist: The Sword | Album: Used Future Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

PUBG Pro Wins Match By Leaping Off A Cliff 

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has so many issues that the ironic phrase “esports ready” is a meme in its community, but that doesn’t mean the game’s competitive scene can’t produce great moments every once in a while. Case in point: this match in which a player leaped off a cliff to secure a win. Here’s what’s happening…

The Art Of Fortnite

It sometimes feels like Fortnite has come out of nowhere to become the biggest game on the planet, but of course it had to come from somewhere. Like the imaginations of these artists, who helped bring Epic’s shooter to life. Below you’ll find a selection of art involved in the production of Fortnite, not just…

You Don’t Wanna Know How Sea Of Thieves Pirates Fit Into Cannons

Today on Highlight Reel we have tiny pirates, explosive entrances, unreasonable Far Cry 5 NPCs, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Catch up…

We Played A Delicious Edible Tabletop Game

I played several different games at the Game Developers Conference last week, but I only ate one of them. That game is The Patisserie Code, one of a series of edible games in the works by Jenn Sandercock, a designer who worked on last year’s delightful adventure game Thimbleweed Park. She came by the GDC…

Why One Indie Studio Gives Every Employee The Same Salary

There’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks about fairness and transparency in the video game industry. On Kotaku Splitscreen, we speak with a studio head who takes things to the extreme, paying every employee the same exact wage. Last week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, we interviewed Tanya X. Short,…