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Rumor: EA Planning More Layoffs, Mobile Division Already Hit
Electronic Arts may have additional layoffs planned for the new year, as a source at the company tells us that the publisher is planning to lay off 400 more employees by the end of March. Whether that’s on top of the 1,000 employees EA already announced it would let go as part of a restructuring…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Case for Indie Development on Mac and Linux
MacOS and Linux’s install base is dwarfed by Windows, so in terms of which platform to develop for, that ends the argument right there. Right? Wrong, says Wolfire Games‘ Jeff Rosen. His case is largely for the indie community, and anyone seeking growth — so it’s not a challenge to the top publishers to take…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Here’s a Baseball Bat. Oh, by the Way, You Won
We’ve gotten more than one note that Grand Theft Auto IV bats are arriving as prizes for a contest no one was ever told they’d won. At least, that’s what we think this is. Maybe it’s a message? Way back in the 1980s I saw this episode of Philip Marlowe: Private Eye on HBO and…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Amazon’s Dealing Games All Day Monday
Frugal gamers, keep an eye on Amazon Monday. The mega-retailer is offering a day full of Gold Box video game deals – probably to clear holiday stock, but there might be something you want. Cheap. You know the Gold Box drill – it begins at 6 a.m. PST (9 a.m. Eastern) with one deal that’ll…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 -
UncategorizedStop Motion Street Fighter
What do you get with one borked SNES and two bored geeks? Stop-motion Street Fighter action figure battles. Fight! Jacob Karsemeyer of Pushing Play sent this along. He and classmate Sam Klass filmed it in a college multimedia course. “Turns out stop motion is one of the most painstakingly laborious mediums to work with,” he…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Donkey Kong Wins Quilting Bee
I’d like to think of a sewing circle of eight platinum-haired, bifocaled grannies, each working on a corner of this awesome quilt and gossiping about getting to the Donkey Kong kill screen without the hammer. In fact, it’s a commercially-available quilt done by Carolina Patchworks, yours for a mere $450. It’s roughly 5 feet square,…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Fable II Bug Fix Patch Finally Live
Lionhead’s announced that a patch finally fixing a slew of bugs – including the infamous unresponsive abbott in Monk’s Quest – has gone live today. And good news! No one will assassinate your child anymore! Here’s the full list of what’s fixed: • The Ritual/Monk’s Quest – Fixed the issue with the Abbott becoming unresponsive…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
[Updated] Bob’s Protest — and Bob’s Game — is Over
Bob Pelloni’s 100-day protest over Nintendo’s refusal to give sell him its SDK is ending short of its goal. Update: Bob’s site now says: “SORRY, EVERYONE! IM ALIVE!!! ITS JUST A JOKE!!! SORRY EVERYONE!!” While the “joke” might mean he has no intention of harming himself, Bob’s still extraordinarily discouraged at how this all turned…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Ben Heck’s New Mod: The “Atari 3600” Stick
Everyone’s first big complaint with this — a 360 controller stuffed into a 2600’s casing — is the lack of a second analog joystick. So it’s not your new Halo stick. But Braid? Sure. Heck also admits he cheated a little on this, gutting a Guitar Hero III guitar for the stick’s circuitry. Other fun…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
MLG Gets More Moolah
Major League Gaming got another $7.5 million from one of its venture capital firms, which called the pro video gaming league “a cultural phenomenon.” I don’t know MLG’s financials but, usually, you don’t get another round of funding because you’re insanely profitable. At least it’s from one of MLG’s original partners, Oak Investment Partners, which…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Originals: Frankly Mint
Every time I see the Goatie coin I imagine Montel Williams on my TV at 2 a.m. hawking a set of collector’s edition 50 State quarters with Fahey and Crecente painted on them. Kotaku’s annual awards were one highlight in a week that also featured McWhertor operating el lobo solo at CES. Nintendo came up…
By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Here, The Ten Best-Selling Games In The UK For 2008
We’ve seen Japan’s. America’s will be in, oh, next week. So for now, let’s all take a look at the ten best-selling games in the UK for all of 2008, shall we? Regular followers of our weekly British sales charts will find no surprises here. The top four games are published by Nintendo, the fifth…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
What Kind of Hypothetical Trophies Or Achievements Would You Like?
Hello there, Friday. It’s time for TELL US DAMMIT. We’ve got a question, you’ve got answers. Here’s who it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: Hands On With Mad Catz’s Street Fighter IV Tournament Sticks
Get ready to change your opinion about Mad Catz. The third-party controller maker may have made one of the best arcade sticks to ever grace these shores, thanks to its Tournament Edition Arcade FightStick. Not only does this stick have authentic Sanwa arcade parts, sturdy construction and an arcade-perfect button layout, it comes loaded with…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Week In (Very Long) Comments
U.S. Army Testing Out Recruitment “Arcades” Comment by: Soldier_CLE Nominated by: Witzbold I’m late to this show, but I’m going to chime in, regardless. The truth is that because The United States have an “all-volunteer” Armed Forces with only a “selected service” registration that hasn’t been acted upon since the 70s, the recruiting branches need…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2009 - Uncategorized
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Site Also Opens Today
It’s not just Final Fantasy XIII that is just getting a site with new stuff, but also Final Fantasy Versus XIII — minus the new stuff. The FFVXIII site is barebones — things like it’s release date and rating are still TBA. That screen grab is pretty much it! Still, if you are interested in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Nintendo, Microsoft Sued Over Parental Control System
All three current generation consoles have a form of parental lock-out controls. They’re a good idea. A good idea that has, however, landed Nintendo and Microsoft in court. Around Christmas time, 36 companies – including Best Buy, Dell, DirecTV, Motorola, Tivo and Wal-Mart – were sued by Guardian Media Technologies, who hold a patent for…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Xbox 360 Helps Japan’s Greatest Sumo Stay Fat
Mongolian-born Asashoryu is sumo’s most successful yokozuna. When not injured or playing soccer in Mongolia, he keeps his 300 pound plus sumo weight by eating chankonabe, sleeping and, apparently, playing Xbox 360. For as much money as Asashoryu makes, we’re glad to see his hasn’t wasted it on, I dunno, a non-crappy TV. How can…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Site Launches
Invitations to “slash it up!” on the freshly-launched X-Men Origins: Wolverine site make me distinctly uncomfortable. That’s probably because I associate the word “slash” with the tender love expressed between two men in fanfiction written by thirteen-year-old girls. Not with the beloved Canadian X-Man who’s getting his own movie and accompanying game later this year.…
By AJ Glasser Published January 9, 2009