Studio Layoffs Put Star Game Designer David Jaffe At A Crossroads

Yesterday, games studio Bartlet Jones was forced to lay off the the majority of its small staff after the publisher of their yet-unannounced game pulled funding. David Jaffe, the veteran games designer who co-heads the studio along with producer Nick Kononelos, told Kotaku that the layoffs “break my heart,” but also said that “this is…

While we wait for the online servers to go live before finishing our review, here’s a little video taste of what to expect when Dragon Ball FighterZ launches on Friday.

Assassin’s Creed Origins’ New DLC Is Just More Assassin’s Creed Origins

When it came out last fall, Assassin’s Creed Origins was already a massive game. Its new downloadable expansion The Hidden Ones makes it bigger without adding many surprises or new ideas. That’s disappointing for those of us hoping the game’s first DLC might shake things up, but not so bad for anyone who simply wants…

BioWare Doubles Down On Anthem As Pressure Mounts

Over the past few months, BioWare has essentially transformed into a single-game studio as it harnesses its teams to work on the ambitious multiplayer action game Anthem, sources say. There are still small teams maintaining Star Wars: The Old Republic and piecing together the next Dragon Age, which was recently rebooted, but the bulk of…

We Can’t Stop Watching This Cruel Mario Clone

Watching this brutal Super Mario clone spring hilarious, unexpected traps on a poor player is hypnotic. The game is TrapAdventure 2, created by Hiroyoshi Oshiba and available as a free download on iOS (though unlocking ad-free play costs $.99). Along the lines of theinfamous Cat Mario, it’s a game that uses decades of platforming knowledge…

Curiosity Kills In Subnautica, But It’s Hard To Stop Diving Back In

Most of your time in Subnautica is spent deciding whether to listen to your curiosity or your terror. It’s a tough choice. Subnautica’s version 1.0 came to PC last night after entering early access in December 2014. (It’s still in game preview on Xbox One.) You play the single-player game as the survivor of a…

A Satisfying Platformer About Smashing Skeletons And Befriending Acrobats

Sometimes you need to punch a skeleton and use their severed arm to smack a ghost in the face. Long Live the Axe is an exciting action platformer about exploring crypts and finding keys. It mixes the sensibilities of Metroid with an arcade brawler, and it’s this week’s Indie Pick. Designed by Jesse Burnett, Long…

Racist Jokes Keep Showing Up In Overwatch League Broadcasts

On the opening night of Overwatch League, a Dallas Fuel fan at the Blizzard Arena hoisted a sign with the alt-right meme frog Pepe on it, and had it confiscated by event staff before the night was over. But that was only the first meme with racist associations to worm its way adjacent to Blizzard’s…

Guy Turns His Steam Link Into An Arcade Cabinet

The Steam Link is a nice way to play PC games when you’re not at your computer. Usually people set it up in their living room to so they can play on a TV while sitting on the couch, but the device can be turned into a nifty arcade machine as well. Inferno156 recently turned…

With Overwatch’s newest map “Blizzard World” comes some shiny new skins. Cecilia and I take a look at them and take the new map out for a spin. The new map is live now for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Check it out in the video above.

Toys’R’Us Closing Up To 182 U.S. Locations

It’s going to be a little bit harder to be a Toys’R’Us kid in the U.S. soon, as the toy retailer puts plans in motion to close up to 182 locations across the country as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. Court documents filed yesterday detail closure plans for the 182 locations across…

Japan Is Good At Snow Sculptures

This week, Tokyo was hit with heavy snow. And like every time it snows in Tokyo or other parts of the country, people go outside and make snow sculptures based on video game, movie and animated characters. Via NetLab, here are some of the best ones. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

Japanese TV Show Talks Online Gaming Addiction, Explains First-Person Shooters 

Recently Japan’s AbemaTV did a report on “net game addicts,” discussing those who are racking up long hours online. AbemaTV is an internet television network, which has snagged some famous Japanese celebrities for its shows. The AbemaTV segment was a breath of fresh air compared to the typical way the traditional Japanese media covers gaming,…

Your Name. Suwako, Nagano, Japan. By Evan Largent. 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! 

Spawn Camped Overwatch Player Sneaks Away, Wins Match

Overwatch’s quick play mode can be the pits, especially when your team is hopelessly outmatched. Sometimes the other team rolls you so hard that you end up stuck in spawn, barely even able to play the game, let alone win. Faced with such a situation, one player took matters into their own hands. After a…

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Yinfaowei Harrison is a freelance artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. You can see more of Yinfaowei’s work at his personal site. 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 video game artists, showcasing the best of both…