Popular GTA V Modding Tool OpenIV Is Once Again Being Distributed [UPDATE]

OpenIV, the popular modding tool for games like Grand Theft Auto V, appears to be getting back to business as usual weeks after it was shutdown due to a cease and desist letter issued by Take-Two, GTA’s publisher. Over the weekend, a download button for the software returned to OpenIV’s website. First removed on June…

Bayonetta On The Switch Would Be Great

This is an image the newly opened Platinum Games Twitter account put out earlier today, compliments of artist and designer Yusuke Hashimoto. It shows Bayonetta 1 & 2 split into what looks like the Nintendo Switch’s neon-colored Joy-Con. Or maybe we’re just seeing things. Bayonetta 2 did’n sell all that well. Mostly because it was…

You’ll Need Help Kissing A Virtual Anime Bride

If you ever plan on having a wedding for a virtual reality anime girl, know that you might need some help with the “You may kiss the bride” part. Noted! Adult game brand Hibiki Works recently held a VR wedding. The groom was a lucky chap, who was selected from other applicants for a chance…

Thousands Of Fake Pokémon Plush Toys Caught In South Korea 

In South Korea, authorities have seized a massive haul of fake plush toys. Reports put the total at 530,000 phoney plushies. Think they caught them all? According to Yonhap News, the unofficial plushies were smuggled into South Korea between April 25 and June 2. They were then illegally circulated in arcades as crane game prizes.…

Studio Trigger Announces Three New Anime Projects

Trigger, the anime studio best known for Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia, just announced three new anime series. The studio was founded in August 2011 by former Gainax staffers Masahiko Otsuka and Hiroyuki Imashi At Anime Expo, Trigger revealed the following anime projects: Promare, Gridman, and a co-production with A-1 Pictures called Darling…

Chinatown at 2am. Singapore. By Shaun Yee. 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!

Persona 5’s Menu Is So Good People Cosplayed As It

Once people actually got inside, Anime Expo was of course one hell of a cosplay show. Here’s one early, personal highlight: a crew dressed up as Persona 5’s battle menu. That’s nonokirias Yusuke (in his winter uniform), while behind the signs are thatsketchasaurus and arktoons Fun fact: they were actually kicked off the showroom floor…

Red 5, Standing By

Steve Chinhsuan Wang is a concept artist and industrial designer who has worked for companies like Microsoft, Ubisoft, Ironklad and Gameloft. He most recently helped out on Firebase, one of Neill Blomkamp’s new short films You can see more of Steve’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the images in their…

Look At This Bloodborne Action Figure

Good Smile Company, creators of the excellent Figma series, showed this off over the weekend. There were no other details but there doesn’t really need to be. He’ll cost around $50, like any other Figma, and might come with some extra gear. Or might not! He’s already got two weapons here, and it’s not like…

Modders Add China To Red Alert 3

Red Alert 3, the game with the greatest cast and FMV cutscenes of all time, has three factions: the Allies, the Soviet Union and Japan. A team of Chinese modders have been working for years to add to that roster. The Eastern Loong mod, first released in Chinese in 2012, adds China as an entirely…

A Good Way To Play The Nintendo Switch

Here’s a little arcade cabinet housing for the Nintendo Switch, so you can play Street Fighter II as nature intended. We saw one of these recently that didn’t work, so here’s one that actually does. Shea Silverman made this by ripping the guts out of an 8Bitdo SNES pad, building a housing then getting that…

The Week In Games: Get Your Cringe On

It’s the start of July and release schedule has gone on vacation. Unless awkward party games are your thing, in which case That’s You! has things covered. You might have missed it among all the other news, but at this year’s E3 Sony announced its new PlayLink project, an initiative to release downloadable party games…

Player Clips Through Wall In Breath Of The Wild DLC And Discovers Hidden Area

Included in the first Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC are the Master Trials, a sixty level challenge where players fight enemies in search of an upgrade for the Master Sword. That’s what Reddit user Sharkystheshotty was doing when they unexpectedly stumbled into an alternate, lo-res world. “Was on trial three on the Medium trials…

Speedrunner Kicks Battletoads‘ Ass, Sets New World Record

Earlier this year, Piotr Delgado “The Mexican Runner” Kusielczuk completed his quest to beat every NES game ever made. Today, he made history by beating one of its most difficult, Battletoads, and setting a new world record in the process. Shaving just two seconds off the previous record, Kusielczuk managed to finish the game earlier…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Arms And The Helix, Winners!

The mystery of Helix has been solved. Nintendo claims he was created in a lab but Kotaku’s ‘Shop contestants know better. This contest was intended to the ongoing debate around whether ARMS’ Helix is totally rad or actually a creep. Jabberwocky’s entry transcended the question entirely. Helix might not be a real human being, but…

Podcast: We Can’t Wait For The SNES Classic

From SNES Classic games to Nier: Automata, this ultra-long episode of Kotaku Splitscreen’s got it all. We even snagged ourselves a Chris Kohler. First, Kirk and I talk about FFXV: Episode Prompto and Cave Story + on Switch. Then we get into Vidcon drama (19:27), Diablo III getting a Necromancer class (29:14), and Destiny 2…

15-Year-Old’s Reaction To Winning Her First Street Fighter V Tournament Is Everything

Last week, a local Street Fighter V event in Ontario, Canada saw 15-year-old “Toffee” take a major step in her competitive career as she sailed past a handful of her fellow competitors en route to tournament gold. Her celebration, a pop-off that was more elation than disrespect, has spread across the fighting game community like…

Nobody Thought Competitive Pokémon Player Would Win A 4 vs 1, But He Did

Competitive Pokémon players usually forfeit matches with seemingly unbeatable odds. But the first day of the North American Pokémon International Championships is a perfect lesson in why never giving up can pay off. Giovanni Costa, this season’s consummate Eevee player, found himself facing down one of the most talented players from Germany, Tobias Koschitzki, in…

Sunday Comics: Three-Player Secret Of Mana

Welcome to Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics that usually occurs on Sunday except when it doesn’t. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published July 1. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published June 26 Read more…