Overwatch APEX Tournament Series Is Over

Ahead of the kickoff week of Blizzard’s Overwatch League, South Korean cable network OGN announced that its long-running Overwatch APEX league is over. A statement from OGN went into the specifics: We did our best and agreed to most of Blizzard’s conditions on continuing the competition, but we were notified that Blizzard was preparing a…

3rd Strike Is Alive And Well This Weekend At Cooperation Cup

While the biggest events host the latest games, it’s always nice to revisit classics. In Japan, love for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike never waned, thanks to a vibrant arcade scene. This weekend’s Cooperation Cup highlights the best of the best, in a game almost 20 years old. Cooperation Cup pits teams of Street Fighter…

GOG’s Mysterious Curation Process Rejected Opus Magnum [UPDATE]

Zachtronics, the developer behind the elegant puzzle game Opus Magnum, recently stated on Twitter that the reason it wasn’t available to buy on Good Old Games (GOG) was because the digital distribution service had rejected it during the review process. [Update – 11:00am, 2/1/2018] GOG has now tweeted that it will accept Opus Magnum after…

Staff Writer Heather Alexandra (that’s me!) is starting up a playthrough of Skyrim live on Twitch. I’m exploring it to take a closer look at what works and what doesn’t. Join me in chat for adventures and glitches.

Dota 2 Escape Plan Fails, Thanks To One Push

In yesterday’s Captains Draft 4.0 match, Evil Geniuses were pushing high ground when the fight started to go the wrong way. Clinton “Fear” Loomis hit the escape button, but thanks to a tiny, very Dota interaction, the rest of his teammates didn’t come with him. Loomis was playing Underlord, a beefy fella who can root…

Time Is Running Out For One Talented League of Legends Free Agent To Find A Home

The start of the 2018 League of Legends Championship Series is just two weeks away, and the ink on team rosters is starting to dry. As the best talent in North America falls into place, one name keeps coming up among the jobless: Marcin “Selfie” Wolski. Wolski was signed to Cloud9’s roster in November 2017,…

The Weekend In Esports: Smite And Paladins Crown Champions 

The new year is off to a big start in the world of competitive gaming thanks to both the Smite and Paladins World Championships going on right now. In addition to both of those tournaments, there’s also some StarCraft II play in Europe and Korea as well as a descent Dota 2 tournament in Captain’s…

This Week In The Business: Hooked On Games

QUOTE | “The World Health Organization knows that common sense and objective research prove video games are not addictive. And, putting that official label on them recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder, which deserve treatment and the full attention of the medical community.” – The Entertainment Software Association trade…

Blizzard Can’t Leave Mercy Alone

All of the support players in Overwatch League will have a tough time during the first competitive season, slated to start next Wednesday night, and it’s all because of the character Mercy. The angelic healer has undergone multiple makeovers in the past few months, all with the intent to balance her most controversial ability: the…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for it being my birthday! All the more reason to play video games. Readers, last weekend I finished the storyline of The Witcher 3‘s last DLC. While there are more question marks than I know what to do with, I have technically finished the game. What will I do now? Play other…

In GTA Online, The Rich Are Ruining Games With Expensive Nukes

A group of GTA Online players are all gathered together near an auto shop in downtown Los Santos. They’re here for a car meet meant to show off fancy vehicles within the community. Suddenly, and without any warning, a giant explosion goes off. Everyone is killed, and the hot rods are destroyed. Another orbital cannon…

Mankind’s Newest Invention: The Anime Bomb

Today on Highlight Reel we have VRChat anime bombs, headless dudes, doorway defenses 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 on all…

There’s A Website Dedicated To Stealing Furry Porn From Patreon Artists

A horde of pirates is undermining Patreon’s financial structure, reposting paywalled pornographic images on an illicit website for free. The makers of these images are furious that internet denizens are putting their livelihoods in jeopardy to score free porn. Yiff.Party has been around since July, 2015, but has picked up speed exponentially in recent weeks.…

YouTuber Leaves Smosh Games After Sexual Assault Allegations

Amra “Flitz” Ricketts, a popular YouTube star and member of the massive network Smosh Games, has left the organization after being accused by multiple women of sexual assault. “I wanted to let all of you know that effective immediately, I’m leaving Smosh Games,” Ricketts wrote on Twitter yesterday. “Last week I was accused of some…

Five Reasons I Like Fortnite BR Way Better Than Battlegrounds

Battlegrounds may have sparked the current Battle Royale trend, but these days, I’d much rather log into Fortnite. Over the last few months, developer Epic Games have crafted a game with a unique identity, if not a better one. Here’s why I prefer to play Fortnite over Battlegrounds. It works I’ve been playing Fornite for…

Valve Removes Tournament’s Major Status Because It Will Require Drug Testing

The upcoming Galaxy Battles Dota 2 tournament will no longer be a major because local regulators in the Philippines are requiring drug testing for the players. Developer Valve confirmed to Compete that it was rescinding major status due to government policies requiring drug testing: “Players were going to be subjected to drug testing and screening…

Ten Speedruns That Take Over Nine Hours To Finish

Speedrunners want to complete games or meet special conditions as fast as possible but some games are so massive that it can take days to get through them, even if you’re playing as quickly as possible. After I reported on Undertale’s absurd, 33 hour long “True 100%” speedrun, my coworkers and readers were curious about…

Smash‘s Beloved Feminist Icon Is Not Trolling, Mostly

Kayla “Mew2Queen” Mackay was one of five players who won a fan vote to play Super Smash Bros. Melee in Genesis 5, a major tournament in Oakland, and the first to receive full funding. For Mackay, who plays as Marth, it should have been a huge moment. But in response to her nomination, Melee players…

That Time An Island In GoldenEye Disappointed A Generation

Far off in the distance, beyond the murky arctic waters, the vague silhouette of a tower can be seen through the mist. You raise your sniper rifle for a closer look. A solitary island is nestled away from all the chaos. What secrets does it hold? This piece originally appeared 3/21/17. GoldenEye 007 is one…