Culture

This Bear Is Here To Help The World

Hello! This week we learn about a game with secret crossplay, find out how terrible Game X Change is, see the first trailer for a weird new Pong game, go to the ham window and watch a bear help the world in a small way. Great Kotaku Content From The Past Week I didn’t expect…

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Patch Fixes Missing Balloons Bug

The latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons patch addresses a bug that prevented balloons from spawning in the skies above players’ islands under “certain circumstances.” Over the last week, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have noticed something funky going on with the balloons that occasionally drift over their islands. Once the Nook Miles achievement for popping 300…

Mixer Gifts All Partnered Streamers $100 To Help During Covid-19 Pandemic

Even for streamers who can comfortably do their jobs from inside their homes, seemingly indefinitely, it’s impossible to ignore covid-19. Before it’s all said and done, everybody will be impacted. To help streamers make ends meet, Microsoft-owned Mixer has given all its partners $100. Any Mixer streamer can apply to be a partner, and if…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for needing to do laundry, because I’ve hit the “all I have left are sweaters” point of staying home a bit earlier than expected. I’ve read you can do your laundry in the bathtub, so I guess I’m going to try that? That leaves lots of time for games while things soak.…

Woman Who Played 4,000 Hours Of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Finally Starts New Horizons

After playing over 4,000 hours of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, 88-year-old Audrey at long last embarks on her deserted island getaway in Animal Crossing: New Horizons The last time we saw her, she was diligently checking in on the villagers of her New Leaf town and tending her huge flower garden. Now she’s returned along…

Darkest Dungeon Is Getting Multiplayer

For four years the grueling dungeon-crawler Darkest Dungeon has let players suffer alone. In May, new downloadable content will add a multiplayer arena where they can suffer together. Red Hook Games announced the new content back on April 1, but because it was April Fools’ Day, everyone assumed it was just a joke. Multiplayer? In…

Track: Radiation Vibe | Artist: Fountains of Wayne | Album: Fountains of Wayne

Magic The Gathering Changing Spacegodzilla Card Because Of Coronavirus Covid-19

Wizards of the Coast and Toho Studios joined forces for the upcoming special kaiju expansion set, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. The first printing run features a “Spacegodzilla, Death Corona” card, which couldn’t have a worse name at a worse time. The “Corona Beam” (コロナビーム or korona biimu) is the official name for one of Spacegodzilla’s attacks.…

Captain Catwoman

Jander González Mella is an artist and illustrator from the Dominican Republic. You can see more of Jander’s stuff at his ArtStation page

Instead Of Closing, Video Game Retailer Provides Employees With Bullshit Coronavirus ‘Safety’ Tips

Instead of providing stores with adequate sanitation supplies (or simply closing them outright) in response to the covid-19 pandemic, Game X Change corporate felt it best to send employees what amounted to a chain email full of bogus prevention tactics. Their advice includes gargling vinegar, drinking lots of water (to “neutralize” the virus in the…

With Tours Canceled, Venues Closing, And Futures Uncertain, Musicians Flock To Twitch

Popular musician Marc Rebillet’s March 17 Twitch stream—the first in his “Quarantine Livestream Tour”—began just like his other shows: Wearing a silken robe, he improvised a series of songs based on topic suggestions from his audience. People asked for songs about the apocalypse and toilet paper. About an hour and a half in, he announced…

John Wick Hex And Some Other Indie Games Are Headed To PS4

The boogie man himself is finally headed to PS4 along with a small but diverse collection of other indie games over the next several days and months. Earlier today, Sony published a series of surprise posts over on the European PlayStation blog, revealing news about five games headed to the PlayStation 4. It’s an odd…

The Last of Us II Delayed Indefinitely

The much-anticipated post-apocalyptic adventure game The Last of Us II will be delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, publisher Sony said today. The game, which had been previously scheduled for May 29, is nearly done and ready to go, a Naughty Dog developer told Kotaku this afternoon. This was a decision made for logistical…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: How Do I Leave An Abusive Relationship?

Hello, all you weekend pheromone discharges, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only doctor you need more than Doctor Mario. With folks self-isolating and social-distancing, relationships are suffering under the strain… and some people are discovering that they’re quarantined with the wrong people entirely. How do you recognize when someone’s using their mental health…

How’s It Going?: Podcasts Edition

It’s Thursday! Welcome back to our daily open thread. I’m not a big podcast person, but last night I listened to the “Heated” podcast, which was about what we could learn about dealing with climate change from the crisis surrounding covid-19. That doesn’t sound like a very cheerful subject, but it was nice to hear…

Gwent‘s New Battle Pass Lets You Play Dress-Up With Geralt

Gwent now has a 100-level battle pass players in need of a goal can work on grinding through. Unlike just any battle pass though, CD Projekt Red says it wants Gwent’s to tell a story each season. “At the start of each week, a new chapter of Journey’s story will be unveiled,” the company writes…

Sea Of Thieves Now Has A Steam Page [Update: Microsoft Says It’s Coming There ‘Soon’]

Micorsoft’s multiplayer pirate life simulator, Sea of Thieves, looks like it’s finally heading to Valve’s platform after getting its own store page complete with the words “coming soon.” The listing was spotted earlier this morning complete with system requirements, descriptive tags, and the option to wishlist the game. Unfortunately there’s no release date yet or…

Sony Donates $10 Million To Covid-19 Response Fund

Sony announced today it’s donating $10 million to the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Response Fund aimed at fighting the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic as part of the company’s new $100 million relief effort. “Through this fund, Sony will provide support in three areas: assistance for those individuals engaged in frontline medical and first responder efforts…

Track: Eien no Fuzaishoumei | Artist: Tokyo Jihen | Album: Eien no Fuzaishoumei (single)

Welcome To BreadCon, Where Everyone Is An Anime Character Who Is Late For School

For a few years now on April 1, cosplayers from around the world have joined in on a common joke and posted some pics. This year’s effort, though, took on some added significance, as without any major cosplay cons taking place in the foreseeable future, this “con” was as close to a show as anyone…