Hearthstone‘s Beloved Game Director Quits

Hearthstone director Ben Brode announced today that he would be departing his job at Blizzard and plans “to help start a new company.” Brode’s departure comes as a shock to Hearthstone fans; the game designer has worked for Blizzard since 2002, starting out as an entry-level game tester and moving up the ranks and becoming…

Destiny Error Code Names, Ranked

Whenever Destiny or its sequel crashes or has a connection failure, you get a distinct error code. Usually those codes correspond to an animal, fruit, or musical instrument. Some are better than others. Here, with reference from the Bungie Help Twitter account and forums, is a ranking of Destiny and Destiny 2 error code names…

Sea of Thieves, One Month Later

Sea of Thieves released one month ago, offering a massive ocean playground for cool player stories along with a frustrating lack of activities and grindy progression. Developer Rare has outlined new content plans for the future, but even without fancy new ships or expansions, the story of Sea of Thieves has as many ups and…

Spy Party: The Kotaku Early Access Review

Someone is a spy and you need to take them out. There’s only thirty seconds left for them to bug the ambassador and complete their mission. You see movement out of the corner of your eye? Is that balding man reaching towards the ambassador’s pocket? You take the shot and the party goers scream. Over…

Tips For Playing God Of War

There’s a new God of War game out, andas you may have heard, it owns. It’s also a pretty involved game with lots of stats, upgrades, and optional stuff that’s easy to miss. I’m here to help. I spent around 60 hours on my first playthrough of God of War, which included the story missions…

Nintendo Labo: The Kotaku Review

The first question you might have about Labo is: what’s so special about a box of cardboard and some mini-games? And the first thing to understand about Labo is that what’s actually in the box is only part of the appeal. What’s more valuable is what this tiny cartridge and its accompanying sheets of cardboard…

God of War Director’s Review Reaction Is A Reminder That Games Are Made By Humans

God of War releases today on the PS4, meaning that reviews for the high-profile exclusive are now on the internet. You might read one of these assessments. The developers of the game also read these reviews, and after years of hard work and toil, it’s an emotional experience. God of War director Cory Barlog uploaded…

Hooray For Games That Let You Make The Text Bigger

The most exciting update to a video game on my PS4 this week is Monster Hunter: World’s new option to increase the size of the text on the game’s busy interface. I sure could use this option in a certain other major game that is launching on PS4 today. As game developer Joe Humfrey recently…

Nioh Statue Costs Nearly $1,000

Japan’s Prime 1 Studio has crafted a 24-inch statue of Nioh hero William. It’s nice! And expensive. The deluxe version statue, which is limited to only 750 pieces, costs 105,900 yen ($984). Previously, Prime 1 released a standard version, which was only 63,900 yen ($593). Below is the newer, more expensive release. Kotaku East is…

This Isn’t Just A Cat Cafe, It’s Like A Cat Theme Park 

If you’re going to pick one cat cafe in Tokyo, this one seems nice. Last fall, a new area opened around the cafe called Kichijouji Petit Mura (“Little Village”), turning this area into a small theme park for cat lovers. The on-site cat cafe, which is called Cat Cafe Temari no Oshiro, would be right…

Nintendo Now Selling Cardboard Separately In Case You Destroy Your Nintendo Labo Creations

Before purchasing Nintendo Labo, one of my concerns was about replacement parts. What if my kids destroy the cardboard? What if I accidentally sit or step on a Toy-Con? Good news, because starting today, Nintendo’s online shop will start selling replacement cardboard. Nintendo previously addressed in this Nintendo Labo FAQ, stating, “But if you need…

Three Chairs. Ibusuki, Japan. By ShuYung Wu. 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! 

We’re streaming Overwatch’s new map, Rialto, on Twitch The map, which is a payload-pushing revamp of the map from Retribution’s PVE mode, just went up on the PTR today. We’re going in blind, so you can see if we think it’s any good in real time

New Reaper Action Figure Looks Great

Ignoring my repeated demands for a Figma Mercy, Good Smile have instead decided that the next kickass Overwatch figure is going to be Reaper. He’s out in Feb 2019. And while he doesn’t actually come with any extra gear, he does come with some pieces that simulate effects like Death Blossom and Shadow Step. Reaper…

Taxi Gang

Max Prentis is a freelance illustrator based in London. You can see more of Max’s work at his Facebook and ArtStation pages, and commission art at his store page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of…