How Halo And Destiny’s Composer Got Fired From Bungie

In April of 2014 Martin “Marty” O’Donnell, then Bungie’s audio director, was fired from the company “without cause.” A court ruling issued last week in a case between the composer and his former employer sheds light on the events leading up to his termination and the hand Activision played in souring their relationship. What seemed…

Some Advice From Our Advice Columnist, Who Loves Giving Advice

Years Later, Players Haven’t Really Solved Fez‘s Biggest Mystery

Some light reading never hurt everyone, especially on a holiday weekend. As labor day grows near, it’s time for Worth Reading, our (mostly) weekly roundup of the best in games writing. Hey, You Should Read These “The Immortal Mystery of Fez’s Black Monolith” by Devin Raposo I went deep down the Fez hole when it…

Heroes of the Storm just put out a spotlight for the upcoming Warcraft character Manbearpig Rexxar. I love the idea of adding a beastmaster—I mean, there’s already onein Dota 2. Allowing you to manage a bunch of different animals seems like a logical next step from all the summoning-heavy specialists already in HOTS.

Track: Blank Space | Artist: Taylor Swift | Album: 1989 Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Take A Break From Metal Gear And Play Nova-111

Have you heard of Nova-111? I barely had, but now I must show it to you. It’s a wonderful surprise of a video game. It’s partially turn-based, partially real-time. It’s action mixed with puzzles. Its on Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Vita, PC and Mac and is coming to Wii U. It just came out. It’s…

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio recently praised Minecraft. “If you play Minecraft, you’re basically writing code when you’re converting a hammer into a pickax,” said Rubio, according to the AP. “Kids might not realize they’re coding, but that’s going to be almost a basic proficiency just because of the way they grew up.”

I Can’t Stop Collecting Stuff in Video Games

Here’s something I wish more game designers understood: If you put an interaction in your game, I am going to interact with it. Anytime a game responds to its players, the rats—or at least this rat—are going to press the lever for more cocaine pellets. Jenova Chen, during a talk about the design of Journey…