Culture

The Force Awakens’ Concept Art Had Some Cool Ideas

The website of Industrial Light & Magic, the design and effects team made famous by the original Star Wars, has shared a massive art dump from The Force Awakens, containing images from throughout the film’s development. Which is probably more exciting than the art itself! I mean yes, it’s nice seeing some near-final artwork here,…

Syrian Refugees Party At Furry Convention

A group of Syrian refugees, having just arrived in Canada, are being temporarily put up in a hotel. The same hotel that, last weekend, was also home to a convention for furries As The Independent reports, it was one hell of a culture shock for the refugees, but it worked out about as well as…

The Week In Games: Everybody Was Just Plain Fighting

I pieced together this image as a little joke for the top of the post, but the more I look at it the more I want to play a game where Pikachu Libre faces off against Conor McGregor. Sadly video games don’t work like Reese;s Peanut Butter Cups,so we’ll have to settle for picking up…

Some Real Talk With Tim Schafer 

Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, Double Fine CEO Tim Schafer joins us to talk about his piles and piles of money. Plus: how Day of the Tentacle holds up today, what it’s like inside the LucasArts barn, and some Real Talk about the relationships between journalists and game developers. Originally posted 3/10/16, but it’s Sunday now,…

Sunday Comics: Don’t Open That Door

Welcome to Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published March 9. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published March 7. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Fear The Walking Dead

QUOTE | “[I]f it doesn’t make sense for the fans then you’re basically fucked. They’re gonna go to the App Store, give you one-star, and say, ‘This is not The Walking Dead.’” – Next Games CEO Teemu Huuhtanen, explaining how working with a brand sometimes has to limit larger business opportunities Elsewhere in the business…

Counter-Strike Player Strolls Into Heavily Guarded Bomb Site, Defuses Bomb

For your Friday afternoon viewing pleasure, a Counter-Strike bomb defusal so tense that I recommend consuming it alongside your Friday afternoon whiskey. 1Relyks posted a video in which he manages to sneak right past the terrorist team—mere feet behind them, at times—and defuse the bomb. The last handful of seconds is nuts. The enemy team…

The Steam Controller just got a much-needed new feature. As part of a big new beta update, you can now create multiple control sets within the same configuration and have them switch automatically. So, for instance, in GTA V you can get into an in-game car and have gyroscope steering turn on. Handy!

There Is A Steam Game Called Generic Space Shooter [Update]

Steam has a lot of generic space shooters. I suppose this one’s at least being honest. Yes, Generic Space Shooter is an actual game’s actual name. I kinda love how candid its description is, though: “The aim of the game is very simple; SURVIVE! Try and survive for as long as you can, the longer…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Another week has passed into history, and another weekend beckons. Time to play some video games. For my part, if you divide up the games I’ll be playing this weekend and then divide each one by ten, you still get The Division If you’re also playing the game, I’d love to know what you think…

30 Minutes With Kona, A Beautiful Snowbound Mystery Adventure

Sometimes I try random Steam Early Access games on a whim. Often, it’s a very bad idea. Kona is a big exception to that rule. Kona is a snowbound mystery adventure that launched on Early Access yesterday. It’s a game about wandering through a (very convincing) blizzard as a private investigator in 1970s Northern Canada.…

Track: Pop Culture | Artist: Madeon | Album: N/A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The People, Guns & Graffiti Of XCOM 2

While we’ve already taken a look at some of the concept art behind XCOM 2, a number of the game’s artists have—with the game now out—been able to share a lot more of they stuff they worked on. They’ve dumped a ton of it in this Polycout thread, which you should check out if you…

Metal Gear Guard Gracefully Accepts Brutal Nut Punch

Today in Highlight Reel we have dogged interviews in Fallout 4, nut punches that will make your head spin, The Division shenanigans, Uncharted 4 selfies and much more! Watch the video above or on our Youtube Page, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share…

Stardew Valley Mod Fills The Game With Pokémon

I’ve always wanted to play a Pokémon game where, instead of being a ten-year-old warmonger, I got to settle down and participate in other aspects of the Pokéconomy. Now, with the help of a Stardew Valley mod, I can. Pokedew Valley is an ongoing effort to collect every Pokémon-themed Stardew Valley mod under the sun…

Inside The Murky Process Of Getting Games On Steam

These days, it seems like Valve will let just about anything on Steam. Programs like Greenlight and Early Access make it easier than ever to get a game on the preposterously popular PC storefront. Some of these games are very bad. How does this happen? What is the process actually like? Redlight, Greenlight Most developers…

Gundam Cosplay That’s (Sorry) Out Of This World

This is Japanese cosplayer PUNIVAL in the suit and Malaysia’s Mikuen as Sayla Mass (and Feldt Grace). We’ve seen PUNIVAL’s work before, but I thought this shoot was so good (as well as Mikuen’s cosplay!) that I thought, we could always do with more perfect Gundam cosplay.

Behind The Scenes On A Fancy Video Game Trailer

Unit Image made “Yesterday”, the big hype trailer for The Division. With the game now out, they’ve released a great series of videos and images showing how the clip was made. It’s not often we get a good look behind the scenes like this, so seeing all this art and footage is a real treat.…

One of the best creators of modern point-and-click adventures just released a new game. Wadjet Eye’s Shardlight is about a sick woman taking on government oddjobs to find a cure that will save her life. It’s a more grounded tale than you’ll find in a lot of post-apocalyptic games. You can get it on Steam…

Killzone’s New Art Book Is A Real Treat

Regardless of its reputation as an OK shooter (though I quite liked KZ3), the Killzone series has always looked fantastic, and a new artbook out that celebrates this is a very good read. I got a copy of Killzone Visual Design yesterday, and while it ticks all the boxes of what makes a good video…