Epic Finally Releases Fortnite Patch Notes

Today, developer Epic published some details about what’s contained in Fortnite’s latest 11.20 patch. Epic calls the notes a “battle royale update” rather than the usual “patch notes,” which have been notably absent since the game’s Chapter 2 started in mid-October. The notes for patch 11.20 are sparse compared to past seasons’ patches. Daily challenges…

The Bug Pokémon Snom Is Actually Incredibly Violent

Snom, a precious Bug/Ice type Pokémon that’s new to the series with Sword and Shield, appears unassuming at first glance. At least until you see the Twitter account dedicated to exposing his inner thoughts. I have a soft spot for bug type Pokémon. They fit naturally into the series’ themes of evolution, and they manage…

Let Me Tell You About A Very Specific Death Stranding Problem That Only I Have

I’m loving Death Stranding so far, but I’m having an unusual problem with it: Heartman sounds exactly like James Kennedy from Vanderpump Rules to me. I can’t unhear it. In case you were not aware, Vanderpump Rules is a show about horrible people being horrible. Lisa Vanderpump is the owner of the restaurant SUR, which…

Some People Who Pre-Ordered Stadia Say They Still Can’t Access It [Update]

In June, Google made an enticing offer for its new streaming service, Stadia—anyone who pre-ordered the Founder’s Edition would be able to lock in the usernames of their choice before anyone else could. Now, however, some people who pre-ordered the service say they haven’t even gotten in. Instead, they still find themselves waiting for an…

EA Scares Origin Users Into Thinking They’re Hacked For No Reason

This morning at around 3am, jolted awake by an antsy newborn, I rolled over to check my email and was alarmed to see a message from EA with the subject: “You’ve redeemed an Origin Access Membership Code.” Goddamnit, I thought. Did someone hack me? Turns out it was just EA starting off everyone’s day with…

Pokémon Fans, I Need Y’all To Shut Up About Dexit

I’m not new to this Pokémon shit. When I was a knuckleheaded young master, high off Black Radberry Now & Laters and bedeviled by the vicious thrill of the Safari Zone, I decided that I would catch them all. Years before Katamari Damacy would turn my capitalistic greed on its head, over a decade before…

Inside Tokyo’s Newest Pokémon Center

This week, a new Pokémon Center is opening in Tokyo. Yesterday, Kotaku showed a short preview of the shop. Today, let’s have a closer look. The Pokémon Center opens this week in Shibuya. With is dark, sleek interior and life-sized Mewtwo display, it does look different from other Pokémon Centers. So does the merch.  Just…

Years Later, Some Can’t Tell Who’s On Street Fighter II Turbo‘s Japanese Cartridge

You are looking at the cartridge art for Street Fighter II Turbo’s Japanese release. It’s not only different from the US version but more mysterious. Can you tell who is on the cover? Ryu? Chun-Li? Which character is it? Twitter user Tekitouaki wrote that for years, he thought that Ryu was on the cartridge art. …

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Tokyo, Japan. By Pedro Maia. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Queen In The North

Max Birdfall is an illustrator and concept artist based in Russia. You can see more of Max’s stuff at his ArtStation page

Activision Blizzard’s CEO Doesn’t Think Its Games Should Be Political

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick doesn’t think his companies’ games should be used as platforms for sharing political views. He said as much an interview appearance on CNBC earlier today “We’re not the operator of the world’s town halls,” Kotick, who in 2017 made 28.6 million running the video game company behind Call of Duty…

Jedi: Fallen Order Pays Tribute To A Lucasarts Star Wars Veteran

Fallen Order is a game that, between its echoes and scanning, has a lot of incidental background fluff. Amongst all that, though, is a lovely tribute from a son (who worked on Fallen Order) to his father (who worked on a ton of classic Star Wars games back in the 90s) Respawn level designer Nicholas…

Shenmue 3 Feels Like A 90s Throwback, For Better And For Worse

Clumsy, awkward, and stiff. Those are some words you can use to describe Shenmue 3. Rustic, charming, and cozy. Those are also words to describe Shenmue 3. The long-awaited third entry in Yu Suzuki’s adventure epic has all the quirks of the 1999 original, good and bad. You will either love it or be left…