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CultureValve Bans Over 40,000 Dota 2 Accounts
The official Dota 2 account on Twitter announced today that the developers have banned over 40,000 players for “abusing matchmaking,” but it’s still not clear what exactly that means. Kotaku has reached out to Valve for more context on what led to this massive wave of bannings and has yet to hear back. Dota 2,…
By Ian Walker Published February 11, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsWide Ocean Big Jacket, A Chill Game About Camping, Is The Perfect Length
As a kid, I never liked camping. I went to a multitude of Boy Scout and church camps, but I could never escape an overriding feeling of anxiety, like the trees were going to close in and suffocate me with their bristly branches. Turns out, I was just doing it wrong. The camping trips I…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureDestiny 2 Taken Offline Again After Players Lose Currency, Materials [Update]
Bungie has once again taken Destiny 2 offline, following fresh reports of some players losing crafting materials following today’s hotfix. “Destiny 2 is being brought offline for emergency maintenance. Stand by for updates,” Bungie announced on Twitter earlier this afternoon. Today’s update was small, addressing problems with certain achievements not being properly recorded and changing…
By Ethan Gach Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureUbisoft Reveals A Surprise Division 2 Expansion ‘Warlords of New York’ That Is Designed To Revive The Game
The makers of The Division 2 have waited until nearly the last possible moment to give their frustrated player base a heap of potentially good news. After spending weeks failing to announce a release date for an expected small extension to the game, they’re revealing today that that mini-expansion—a free, two-mission excursion to Brooklyn’s Coney…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2020 -
UncategorizedPlease Stop Quitting Before I Can Revive You
I’m not the most aggressive battle royale player, but I put a lot of effort into supporting my team. I stick close to my squad, share my loot, and heal my teammates whenever I can. In games where downed players can be brought back, like Apex Legends or Fortnite, I always go out of my…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureBorderlands 3 Gets Its First Level Cap Increase This Week
Borderlands 3 players have had almost six months to wring as much enjoyment out of the game as possible, including by reaching level 50, the game’s maximum. Now, the developers are ready to introduce the first level cap increase, which will give players the chance to earn three more levels beyond the current ceiling starting…
By Ian Walker Published February 11, 2020 -
UncategorizedA new documentary released today looks at the ongoing tension between physical and digital video game releases. Not For Resale attempts to capture all facets of the conversation, like the fate of independent game stores, the struggle over preservation, or the problems with today’s digital marketplaces.
By Chris Kohler Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy Failed Quest For A Terminator Truck Is Modern Gaming In A Nutshell
I was wrong about the Terminator truck that recently popped up as a reward in Ghost Recon Breakpoint The RT-5 Shepherd Mk. II was the ultimate reward for grinding through a batch of Terminator missions that were added to the big Ubisoft game a couple of weeks ago. Most of those missions, and the rewards…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2020 -
UncategorizedOutriders, the coop RPG shooter revealed at last year’s E3, has been delayed until this holiday and will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X as well as current consoles according to a new trailer. It’s by People Can Fly, the studio behind Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgement
By Ethan Gach Published February 11, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsDead Cells‘ Latest Expansion Makes A Good Thing So Much Better
The only thing in Dead Cells’ latest expansion that gives me more pleasure than cleaving giant mutated fungi in half with a humongous scythe is having my own mushroomed companion fling itself at them with abandon and then explode upon impact. In other words, I’m really enjoying Dead Cells’ new DLC, “Bad Seed.” Out today…
By Ethan Gach Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureNeopets Might Be Finally Getting An Animated Series
How has Neopets, the once wildly popular kid-friendly virtual pet website, gone more than two decades without an animated series? It’s had toys, video games—hell, it was owned by Viacom from 2005 to 2014. Whatever the case, current Neopets owner Jumpstart Games has teamed with Beach House Pictures to make a cartoon happen. Announced yesterday…
By Mike Fahey Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureTrack: Illusion of Time | Artist: Daniel Avery & Alessandro Cortini | Album: Illusion of Time
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2020 -
UncategorizedAfter March 31, developer F K Digital will be stopping development of all new titles, including the PS4 game Chaos Code Next. “Taking a break is for accomplishing a longer journey,” the studio stated in an official release. “Hope we shall meet again sometime.” Mickey Lin, the game’s producer, explained the very personal reasons why…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapanese TV Channel Stops Airing Interspecies Reviewers
Earlier this month, Funimation announced that it would no longer stream Interspecies Reviewers, stating the show fell outside its standards. Now a Japanese TV channel is also canceling the program. IT Media reports that late last week, network TV channel Tokyo MX announced it would no longer broadcast the show. No specific reason was given…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2020 -
CultureGame company Examu, best known for the Arcana Heart 2D fighting games, has announced that it is ceasing all operations starting later this month, due to gradually declining business conditions. Development and management, however, are switching over to the company-owned Team Arcana, so hopefully, the series will stay in good hands.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2020 -
OpinionHere’s To 20 More Years Of Ashley’s Butt Just Hanging Out In Vagrant Story
As of today, the classic PlayStation 1 role-playing game Vagrant Story is 20 years old. It’s very good and, as ex-Kotaku staffer Joshua Rivera so eloquently wrote back in December, “still holds the heck up” two decades later. This article, however, is all about the main character’s exposed butt, just so you know what you’re…
By Ian Walker Published February 10, 2020 -
UncategorizedSims 4 Modder Passes Away, But Fans Are Making Sure His Legacy Lives On
If you’ve messed around with The Sims 4 at any point, you’ve probably come across the name Scumbumbo. A gifted modder, he was also a major figure in the game’s community, always lending a hand to help others improve their own creations. Scumbumbo died last year, but his work was so important to players that…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 10, 2020