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CultureApex Legends Skins Delayed After Company Changes Its Name Mid-Promotion
This week was supposed to see the release of a new set of branded skins for Apex Legends, done in collaboration with streetwear label Chinatown Market, but that company’s decision to rebrand in between the skins’ announcement and release means Respawn currently has them on hold. The skins were originally due for release on March…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 30, 2021 -
CulturePolice Arrest Members Of “World’s Biggest” Video Game Cheat Company, Seize Luxury Cars
Chinese police have moved against a company billed as the “world’s largest” seller of video game cheats, arresting ten of its members and confiscating over $40 million worth of assets. As the BBC reports, the cheat sellers were operating under the name “Chicken Drumstick”, and sold cheats for everything from Call of Duty to Overwatch,…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureAmnesia: Rebirth’s New Mode Has Fewer Scares, More Puzzles
Amnesia: Rebirth is so scary that the developers at Frictional Games added a new Adventure Mode to the PC version today, with a similar update planned for PlayStation in a few weeks. Much like what Frictional did with SOMA’s Safe Mode, Amnesia: Rebirth’s new Adventure Mode makes enemies more passive, brightens up dark areas, and…
By Ian Walker Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureThe Future Of Cyberpunk 2077‘s Multiplayer Is Still Up In The Air
CD Projekt is rethinking Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer elements, president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński explained during the company’s recent strategy update “Previously, we hinted that our next AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game, but we have decided to reconsider this plan,” Kiciński said. “Given our new, more systematic and agile approach, instead of primarily…
By Ian Walker Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureCD Projekt Red Thinks Cyberpunk 2077 Is ‘Closer’ To Coming Back To PlayStation
Cyberpunk 2077 got a big patch yesterday, aimed at improving its gameplay and fixing its many, many bugs. In an investor call today, developer CD Projekt Red said it’s up to Sony whether this means the game will be ready to return to the PlayStation store any time soon. “We have published several patches. We…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureLooney Tunes Gacha Game Exhumes The Corpse Of Big Chungus
Remember Big Chungus? He’s back, in gacha form. Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem is a mobile game in the vein of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Marvel Strike Force that apparently launched in 2018. I say “apparently” because I only just heard about it today, which I suppose is the reason the developers are…
By Ian Walker Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Wish Genshin Impact Cared About My Time As Much As Its Story Seems To
Reused NPCs. An environment you’ve already spent dozens of hours in. Contrived progress gating based on time. On paper, Genshin Impact’s current event, the Windblume Festival, sounds like it’s scraping the bottom of the barrel. In reality it’s a chill yet inventive exercise in making an in-game holiday feel like, well, an event. But it…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 30, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesIf You Pre-Ordered Kingdom Hearts On PC, Make Sure You Received Your Discount
The PC release of Kingdom Hearts offers the latest hiccup in the insidious world of video game pre-orders. Four games in Square Enix’s long-running plot maze are officially out on PC today via the Epic Games Store where they’re currently marked down by 20 percent through April 6. But if you pre-ordered any of the…
By Ari Notis Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureHere’s April 2021’s Xbox Live Games With Gold
Despite recent changes to Xbox Live(or at least its name), April’s Games with Gold are here (whew!). As ever, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. April’s Games with Gold are: Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One Vikings: Wolves of Midgard (April 1-30) Truck Racing Championship (April 16-May…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureSummer Games Done Quick Returns In July As Online-Only Event
Annual charity speedrunning festival Summer Games Done Quick will return as an online-only event, running from July 4 through 11. “With the health and safety of all in mind, #SGDQ2021 is now SGDQ 2021 Online!” the organizers wrote on Twitter today. “Expect the same weeklong charity speedrun event you know and love!” This year’s submission…
By Ari Notis Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMonster Hunter Rise Is Tough To Get Into As A Newcomer
Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get into Monster Hunter Rise. Fans of the kaiju-killing series are legion, and this latest entry, out last week for Nintendo Switch, is arguably the buzziest game in the world right now. But it sure doesn’t make things easy for newcomers. For all intents and purposes, I am…
By Ari Notis Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsEVE Online‘s Latest Front Is A Battle Of The Bands
EVE has been torn apart by war between the game’s largest factions for close to nine months. The war is raging on every imaginable front: massive fleets wreaking untold destruction, economic powers exerting their influence over the game’s markets, players vying for karma on the EVE subreddit. Recently, two maestros on opposing sides have begun…
By Lee Yancy Published March 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanItalian Fashion Brand Criticized for Disrespecting Japanese Culture
If you’ve ever been to Japan (and even if you haven’t), you are probably aware that shoes are a big deal—and specifically, taking them off. The bottoms of shoes are considered dirty for obvious reasons. Because of this, walking inside while wearing shoes is certainly frowned upon. The cultural norms do not stop there. Walking…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastNexon Is Investing $1.5 Billion In Konami, Sega, Namco Bandai, And More
This week, Nexon announced that last year the company greenlit up to $1.5 billion worth of investments in Konami Holdings, Bandai Namco Holdings, Sega Sammy Holdings, and Hasbro. Founded in Seoul but now based in Tokyo, Nexon is one of the most successful game companies in Asia. “We believe companies with strong, well-managed global IP…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOnce Again, In-Person Tokyo Game Show Canceled, Event Will Be Online
Last year, the in-person Tokyo Game Show was canceled due to covid-19 concerns. In its place was an online event. This year, once again, the show will be only online. As organizers announced in an official release, this year’s theme will be Sore de mo, bokura ni wa geemu ga aru (それでも、僕らにはゲームがある) or, “We’ll always…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureActivision Blizzard Hires Former Trump Administration Member Once Decried As ‘Bully’
Today, Activision Blizzard announced the promotion of Blizzard chief commercial officer and the chief operating officer Armin Zerza to CFO of the whole company. What it did not announce to the public is that it has also hired a new chief administrative officer: former Donald Trump administration member Brian Bulatao. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureV-Commandos, One Of My Favorite Board Games, Is Getting A Fancy Upgrade
I’ve written multiple times about V-Commandos on the site, a tactical WW2 stealth game made by some Ubisoft guys, that is very good. About the only bummer with the game was that it used fairly basic cardboard tokens instead of plastic miniatures, but hey, they’re now fixing that and then some. V-Commandos Deluxe is the…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureSega Lawyers Threaten Wrong Website Over Yakuza Piracy [Update]
There are lawyers somewhere out there working for Sega HQ in Japan who have been tasked with hunting down the people responsible for pirating Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And they are not doing a good job. UPDATE March 30: A Sega representative tells Kotaku “Earlier this week, one of our games was incorrectly flagged on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsIt Takes Two Director’s ‘Fuck The Oscars’ Rant Is Hidden In The Game
Josef Fares’ new game, It Takes Two, apparently includes audio from the director’s infamous “fuck the Oscars” rant in all its incoherent glory. After the game’s release last week, some folks discovered that It Takes Two’s space level includes a hidden Easter egg that allows players to hear snippets of Fares’ profanity-laden appearance at the…
By Ian Walker Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureNew Magic: The Gathering Card Accused Of Using Stolen Artwork [Updates]
Strixhaven: School of Mages, a new set of Magic: The Gathering cards, is due for release next month, but one of its cards is already generating controversy. It has emerged that the artist responsible for drawing it sure did borrow a lot of stuff from another, uncredited artist. Veteran artist Jason Felix is credited on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021