Culture

Which Heroes Of The Storm Map Is Your Favorite?

One big thing that sets Heroes of the Storm apart from the rest of the MOBA pack is the fact that Blizzard’s new game has seven different maps on which players do battle as opposed to just one. Not all maps are created equally, however. Which do you prefer: gathering skulls to avoid getting rekt…

How A Video Game Is Released In 2015

A history of how a video game is conceived, developed and marketed

The Only Thing Wrong With LEGO Elves Is The Elves Themselves

Does the world really need separate LEGO sets for boys and girls? Certainly not the mystical world of LEGO Elves. In March of this year LEGO introduced a new line of construction sets featuring unique colors, gorgeous design elements and a theme that any fantasy fiction fan could get behind. Why stop at Tolkien when…

Dinosaurs > Camels

Lloyd Allan is a concept artist at Guerilla Games, the developers of the Killzone series. He’s also worked at Atomhawk, who we’ve featuredhere previously. You can see more of Lloyd’s work at his ArtStation page and Facebook page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can…

A Very Special Edition Of Return Of The Jedi

Slave Leia is such an overplayed subject for cosplay that these days it takes a lot to get people to notice it. Or, if not a lot, then a beard and some balloons. Cosplay by Bearded Leia Cosplay, via fashionably geek

A Lot Of People Are Getting Refunds On Steam

Steam refunds are a thing now, and they’ve proven pretty divisive. Some creators of smaller games are worried that the policy is too easy to exploit. But what do the numbers say? Steam refunds—previously offered rarely and on a case-by-case basis—can now be requested under almost any circumstance provided players have 1) spent two hours…

That’s One Hot Facepalm, Witcher 3

On today’s episode of Highlight Reel we have good dodges in Bloodborne, extreme facepalming in The Witcher 3, easy rescues and much more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Bloodborne –…

Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Invades The U.S. This Month

Having made the rounds in Canada, the UK and Australia since 2012, Pizza Hut is finally bringing its bizarre hot dog stuffed crust pizza to U.S. stores later this month. Tentative hooray! This news came to me by way of a local long-time Pizza Hut employee, who informed me that most stores in the Atlanta…

The Week In Games: The E3 Lull

Everybody get out of the way, the industry’s most press-hungry trade show coming through! While we’re still a week away from E3 2015, the game release calendar is as bare as it would be if the show were in full swing. Nothing is as futile as attempting to get the gaming press to look at…

Sunday Comics: Look At My Face! 

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 June 6. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published June 1. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Buying Broken Games

QUOTE | “At that point, we’re asking people to part with their money, and they should not be getting a broken product.” – Tripwire VP Alan Wilson, explaining why he thinks Steam’s Early Access program is being abused by some developers Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “Optimization never stops. You…

Ace Battlefield 4 Player’s RPG Got To The Chopper

On today’s episode of Highlight Reel we have rocket shots, teabag revenge, peek-a-boo headshots and much, much more. Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Dying Light – nopezombie.avi – buttsecks Destiny…

Fallout: New Vegas Beaten In 24 Minutes, A New World Record

For most Fallout players, going straight to the New Vegas strip seems impossible—the path there looks like it is gated by cazadores and other baddies. But for speedrunners like rydou, blazing through New Vegas in record speeds is no problem. In this video, you can watch rydou not only take control of the strip, but…

Steam Finally Has A Good Dinosaur Game

Should I care about Ark: Survival Evolved? Yes. If you’re into dinosaurs and survival games, you really can’t go wrong here. Word of warning, though: it’s definitely not finished yet. What’s it about? Surviving and hunting/taming dinosaurs. Think DayZ or Rust, except with better graphics, more immediately intuitive progression, and—oh, right—prehistoric ultra-lizards (and turtles) who…

Track: The Mountain | Artist: GUNSHIP | Album: Gunship Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Now This Is How You Do Star Wars Art

So a new Star Wars game got announced today, and people seem pretty ho-hum about it, mostly because it’s for mobile. But it got my attention right away, mostly for the art. Four images of the game’s characters, all drawn by Brian Matyas, were released today, and I don’t think I’ve seen a Star Wars…

Mods Bringing Old GTA Cities To Grand Theft Auto V

A recent breakthrough in the Grand Theft Auto V modding scene has opened up a world of possibilities. Or worlds, I suppose I should say. GTA V modder NTAuthority has come up with a method of adding custom maps to the PC version of the game using a client called “FiveM.” It’s still early right…

Building The Buildings Of Assassin’s Creed

Encho Enchev is an artist who works as an environment artist and designer for Ubisoft, where he’s helped out on games like Black Flag, AC: Rogue and Liberation. You can see more of Encho’s work at his ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you…

Watch Me Play Steam’s Most Promising Dinosaur Game

Ark: Survival Evolved looked almost too good to be true when I reported on it, but is the hyper-ambitious dinosaur game any good? Let’s find out. Tune in below. Now, a disclaimer: Ark’s servers are packed, and I may not be able to get online today. If that falls through (or after I’ve played Ark…

The Witcher 3’s Ciri, Cosplayed To Perfection

2015 has beena goodyear for Witcher cosplay. Funny how the release of the best game in the series can do that. From the gear to the hair, Love-Squad’s Ciri is almost perfect. Photos by Alexander Turchanin.