Swan Song for the Thrashers

The Atlanta Thrashers are no more. By this time next year, the franchise will be in Winnipeg, perhaps playing in the colors and logo of the Peggers’ beloved Jets, and Canada will at last have more NHL teams than the Confederacy. Kotaku reader

The Best Videos of the Week

Maybe you’re taking a break from Father’s Day gift shopping to see what you missed on your favorite Gawker Media sites this week. Or maybe you two just argued politics and you’re now looking for a little distraction. Well, whatever the case, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the most amusing and entertaining…

Two Weeks and One E3 in Betabrand Couch Commando Cargo Pants

I’ve never worn a pair of prototype pants before. But Betabrand, the San Francisco-based company who makes sweatshirts designed using DARPA technology or pants designed to let you eat a lot of food, decided to send me the very first pair of their new “Couch Commando” cargo pants. I wouldn’t go far as to say…

Someone is Selling THQ’s E3 Debris for $2,000

This year, I came home from E3 with a Kinect Sports shirt, a Jurassic Park-inspired fake Barbasol shaving cream can to hide stuff and a Cooking Mama 4 oven mitt. Everything else I chucked, including my press pass and lanyard. Maybe I should have considered selling it on eBay. On Monday, Luke noticed a lot…

Greetings, Starfighter!

You’re walking away from history! History, Alex! Did Chris Columbus stay home? Nooooo. What if the Wright Brothers thought that only birds should fly? And did Galoka think that the Ulus were too ugly to save? Yeah, wait a minute, who is Galoka? Forget it, let’s see some deals. Hardware • Creative Fatal1ty Pro HS-980…

The Top Talent Departs as Madden Nears Its Release

The executive producer of Madden NFL quietly stepped down this week after less than a year on the job. He is the third senior-level Madden developer to leave the title in the past two months. But Phil Frazier and his former bosses say it is an amicable separation, one that won’t affect the video game…

So Long, Friday, and Thanks for All the GIFs

Kotaku readers, let’s start the weekend off officially with some off topic conversation, whether it be about music, movies, video games, personal affairs or some other subject. Perhaps the most devastating off topic news of the week is the removal of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” from YouTube, a cultural touchstone seemingly gone for good. Or for…

What’s Team Fortress 2 Teasing Now? ‘Meet The Medic’?

There’s some shit going down at the official Team Fortress 2 web site right now. Bird shit, more specifically, is all over the game’s blog, as are a few defecating doves. Team Fortress 2 players are also reporting the appearance of doves in-game. What does it all mean? Well, it may mean the impending arrival…

The Man Who Brought Duke Nukem Forever Back To Life Likens It To A Greasy Hamburger

Who cares if Duke Nukem Forever is “good” or not? It is at least as satisfying as a greasy burger, as catchy as a Ke$ha song or maybe as enjoyable as a performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark in which no one suffers a debilitating injury. (Or does. Which would make that superhero musical…

Halo‘s Towering Feat, Accomplished At Last

Seven years ago, in uncertain times fraught with peril, the president challenged this great nation to, by the end of 2011, rocket-jump and safely land a Spartan from one tower to the second on the Halo: Combat Evolved level “Halo.” The nation’s greatest minds set about to solving and answering this urgent national priority. And,…

‘Is Navi Annoying?’ and Other Questions We Asked the Creators of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Kotaku recently asked eight questions of the chief creatives responsible for the Nintendo 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, questions like “Why does Link auto-jump?” and “Do you think Navi is annoying?” Longtime Zelda lead and co-director of Ocarina of Time Eiji Aonuma offered sometimes fascinating answers to our sometimes silly…

When In E3…

LOS ANGELES | Adam Ghiggio from Australia poses next to mutant manequins which are lined up to be used as displays for the video game ‘Rage’ at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 5, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Riptide GP Rips Android Gamers a Console Quality Racer I…

The Total Defeat of the Man Who Said He Owned the Word ‘Edge’

We’ve given Tim Langdell a wide berth (like, for nearly two years) rather than assault you with incremental developments in the legal proceedings involving his ridiculous, all-encompassing trademark claims to the word “Edge.” But we’ll check in now, as a court ruling in the U.K. affirms what many have long suspected: His entire operation is…

Dev Explains Twisted Metal Reboot’s Mechs, Stories and Lack of Kratos

Twisted Metal developer David Jaffe took a bit of time during last week’s E3 to talk about the finer points of his car wars reboot. There’s a lot of interesting details in this nearly 9-minute-long video including Jaffe’s explanation of why the game has a mech, why he doesn’t think Kratos would be a good…

No Girls Allowed: Keep Out!

There has been quite a lot of talk about the unusual making of Duke Nukem Forever. Years of production and numerous delays made the game almost a phantom: like some mystical beast that was oft spoken of but never seen. Once the game was released, even more fuel was added to the fire of commotion…

It Seems Japan May Not Like Its Yakuza Games with Zombies After All (But It Still Likes Yakuza Games)

Last week, the latest entry in Sega’s popular Yakuza series hit Japan after suffering a brief delay. It was the country’s bestselling game by a huge margin, killing the other new zombie-filled game on the market. But there was some not so good news for Sega’s newest gangster game. Yakuza: Of the End crushed the…

iam8bit Streets of E3 Gallery

Artsy Production Firm iam8bit Struck E3 With Stealth and Swag

Multi-media collective iam8bit knows how to advertise itself: slyly, theatrically and with neat, removable swag. iam8bit does a bit of everything — they host art exhibitions and publish books, produce T-shirts and tchotchkes, and — for the right client — provide marketing and creative consultation. In the words of their online manifesto, they’re in the…

This Week in the Business: “Same five games over and over.”

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week… QUOTE | “Rot from the core.” – EA CEO John Riccitiello talks about the fierce Call of Duty vs. Battlefield showdown and luring the core audience away from CoD QUOTE | “Triple bump.” – Epic’s Cliff Bleszinki explains the advantages of releasing Gears 3…

Get A Good Look at Converse’s Beautiful Super Mario Bros. Sneakers

You may have seen Converse’s Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary Chuck Taylors before (or maybe just its gorgeously designed shoebox), but here’s a better, more detailed look at the Nintendo licensed sneakers we’re currently drooling over. It’s the little things that make these Mario shoes stand out: the Super Mario Bros. logo on the tongue;…