- Esports
To Eliminate Match-Fixing In Esports, Pay The Players More
Spend an afternoon at a Top 8 Finals of any fighting game tournament, and you will find there is a robust side-betting culture in esports. Pseudo-gambling activities like “skin wagers” in Counter-Strike have been a part of esports culture from the beginning, and fringe sites like XLBet have included StarCraft games next to MLB games.…
Jack Moore & Trevor Strunk Published June 29, 2018 -
EsportsBig Data Is The Future Of Esports
“Game developers don’t like me,” said Sabina Hemmi. “Before I came around, there was no insight into how balanced a game was.” Hemmi is joking. Partially. As the co-founder of DotaBuff, a site that provides statistics about Dota 2 gameplay, she can show with hard data if certain characters are stronger or weaker, and in…
By Eric Van Allen Published June 29, 2018 - Uncategorized
Japan’s Video Game Bars Are In Danger
A string of arrests has put the future of Japan’s popular “video game bars” into serious doubt. I press record. “Just by doing this interview,” I say, “to a certain degree you’re really putting a target on your back.” It’s important Matt Bloch understands this before we proceed, especially after the recent video game bar…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 29, 2018 - Uncategorized
Cosplayer Job Site Launches In Japan
It’s called “Cos Job,” and the new recruitment site is aimed at cosplayers and the businesses that want to hire them. As Anime Anime notes, the site is run by cosplay social-networking site Cosplay Archive, Cos Job lists help wanted ads for cosplay models as well as event companions and staff. There are also listings…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 29, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Rock Island
We’re doing something a little different today. Please enjoy this 1984 ballad while you continue to read the rest of this column. It’s a good backdrop. True democracy in South Korea is only about three decades old, having blossomed in the 1990s with the Kim Young Sam administration. One of the seminal moments leading to…
By Seung Park Published June 29, 2018 - Uncategorized
Please Don’t Kill Hammond, Overwatch’s New Hero
Hammond, Overwatch’s newest hero, can be killed just like everyone else. But while it looks like he simply disappears in the blast as his mech explodes, the reality is more horrifying. Please don’t kill Hammond.
By Luke Plunkett Published June 29, 2018 - Culture
You’re Late
Sean Vo is a concept artist and illustrator based in Canada who has worked with companies like WB Games and Eidos. You can see more of Sean’s stuff at his ArtStation page Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2018 -
Uncategorized1998 Arcade Game Is Very World Cup
It may not have been the official game of the tournament, but this 1998 Japanese arcade game knew better than any football game on earth how special and exciting the World Cup can be. During Tecmo World Cup 98’s attract mode, in between shots of on-field action, passers-by are treated to flashes of text like…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2018 - ReviewsBoard Games
Terraforming Mars: The Kotaku Review
Mars is inhospitable. Let’s change that. Terraforming Mars is not a new game, having been released in 2016, but I still thought it was worth reviewing here in 2018 because a) I just played it and b) it’s so damn good A game for 1-5 players, Terraforming Mars puts players in control of futuristic corporations…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2018 -
UncategorizedEA, Put This World Cup Blooper In FIFA, Please
Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi was celebrating his team’s goal earlier today against England when things went bad. (If the Twitter version won’t load, here it is on YouTube) Maybe a Fortnite dance might have been a better option, dude. If Epics battle royale wasn’t right for the moment, then we can only hope EA Sports…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2018 -
UncategorizedDark Souls 3 Data Miner Thinks A Massive PVP Mode Was Cut
Some secrets buried in an alpha build of Dark Souls 3 reveal that some sort of Battle Royale-style player-vs-player event may have at one time been planned for the game. As Souls data miner Lance McDonald shows in a recent YouTube video, a few special items that never made it into the final version hint…
By Ethan Gach Published June 28, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Exorcist Makes For A Creepy-As-Hell VR Game
For all the pea soup-laden razzle-dazzle of its most memorable moments, the 1973 film The Exorcist does not lend itself easily to a video game adaptation. On the surface, it’s about a 12-year-old girl possessed by the demon Pazuzu. At its core, however, it’s an exploration of science and religion, puberty, and man’s struggle for…
By Stacie Ponder Published June 28, 2018 -
UncategorizedBattlefield V‘s Alpha Is Faster And Team-Focused
Battlefield V kicked off a closed alpha today, giving players a taste of what’s in store for the latest entry in EA’s shooter series, which will be released October 19. My coworker Paul Tamayo and I are huge fans of the Battlefield series, and have been dying to play the game. We sat down earlier…
By Heather Alexandra Published June 28, 2018 -
CultureFortnite Players Build Massive Pyramid
Today on Highlight Reel we have The Crew 2 stunts, T-pose dads, odd FIFA goals, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Catch up…
By Chris Person Published June 28, 2018 -
UncategorizedLGBT Fans Find A Safe Haven In K-Pop
“This panel, we’re just going to show our gay,” Lai Frances proclaimed to the packed crowd at KCon’s panel on LGBT fandom in Korean pop music. The K-Pop fans in attendance roared with approval. Frances, a freelance journalist and self-proclaimed girl group enthusiast, served as panelist alongside a music video producer at Universal Asia who…
By Gita Jackson Published June 28, 2018 - Uncategorized
Sources: Google Is Planning A Game Platform That Could Take On Xbox And PlayStation
Over the past few months, the wildest rumors in video game industry circles haven’t involved the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Two. The most interesting chatter has centered on a tech company that’s been quietly making moves to tackle video games in a big way: Google, the conglomerate that operates our email, our internet browsers, and…
By Jason Schreier Published June 28, 2018
