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Kotaku EastJapanItalian Fashion Brand Criticized for Disrespecting Japanese Culture
If you’ve ever been to Japan (and even if you haven’t), you are probably aware that shoes are a big deal—and specifically, taking them off. The bottoms of shoes are considered dirty for obvious reasons. Because of this, walking inside while wearing shoes is certainly frowned upon. The cultural norms do not stop there. Walking…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastNexon Is Investing $1.5 Billion In Konami, Sega, Namco Bandai, And More
This week, Nexon announced that last year the company greenlit up to $1.5 billion worth of investments in Konami Holdings, Bandai Namco Holdings, Sega Sammy Holdings, and Hasbro. Founded in Seoul but now based in Tokyo, Nexon is one of the most successful game companies in Asia. “We believe companies with strong, well-managed global IP…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOnce Again, In-Person Tokyo Game Show Canceled, Event Will Be Online
Last year, the in-person Tokyo Game Show was canceled due to covid-19 concerns. In its place was an online event. This year, once again, the show will be only online. As organizers announced in an official release, this year’s theme will be Sore de mo, bokura ni wa geemu ga aru (それでも、僕らにはゲームがある) or, “We’ll always…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2021 -
CultureActivision Blizzard Hires Former Trump Administration Member Once Decried As ‘Bully’
Today, Activision Blizzard announced the promotion of Blizzard chief commercial officer and the chief operating officer Armin Zerza to CFO of the whole company. What it did not announce to the public is that it has also hired a new chief administrative officer: former Donald Trump administration member Brian Bulatao. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureV-Commandos, One Of My Favorite Board Games, Is Getting A Fancy Upgrade
I’ve written multiple times about V-Commandos on the site, a tactical WW2 stealth game made by some Ubisoft guys, that is very good. About the only bummer with the game was that it used fairly basic cardboard tokens instead of plastic miniatures, but hey, they’re now fixing that and then some. V-Commandos Deluxe is the…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureSega Lawyers Threaten Wrong Website Over Yakuza Piracy [Update]
There are lawyers somewhere out there working for Sega HQ in Japan who have been tasked with hunting down the people responsible for pirating Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And they are not doing a good job. UPDATE March 30: A Sega representative tells Kotaku “Earlier this week, one of our games was incorrectly flagged on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsIt Takes Two Director’s ‘Fuck The Oscars’ Rant Is Hidden In The Game
Josef Fares’ new game, It Takes Two, apparently includes audio from the director’s infamous “fuck the Oscars” rant in all its incoherent glory. After the game’s release last week, some folks discovered that It Takes Two’s space level includes a hidden Easter egg that allows players to hear snippets of Fares’ profanity-laden appearance at the…
By Ian Walker Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureNew Magic: The Gathering Card Accused Of Using Stolen Artwork [Updates]
Strixhaven: School of Mages, a new set of Magic: The Gathering cards, is due for release next month, but one of its cards is already generating controversy. It has emerged that the artist responsible for drawing it sure did borrow a lot of stuff from another, uncredited artist. Veteran artist Jason Felix is credited on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureNike Suing Over Lil Nas X’s “Satan” Sneakers
To go along with the release of his new video for Montero—in which he gives Satan a lap dance—Lil Nas X has also teamed up with a customs company for the release of a range of Hell-themed Nike Air Max sneakers. Only problem being that now Nike is suing. The company responsible for the shoes,…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureA Lot Of Stuff Is Coming To Black Ops Cold War This Week
Call of Duty’s Season Two Reloaded mid-season update is bringing some much-needed changes to Black Ops Cold War. Season Two started on February 25 with a focus on zombies-themed content, including the fun addition of the Zombies “Outbreak” mode. Now we’re already at the halfway point, and the latest update will bring more maps, another…
By S.E. Doster Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsThankfully, The Boat Is Still Stuck In Microsoft Flight Simulator
Ever Given, the massive container ship that captivated the world after blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal for more than a week, is free as of 3:05 p.m. local time, but the ridiculous incident will live on forever in Microsoft Flight Simulator Over the last few days, the dedicated Microsoft Flight Simulator community has released several third-party…
By Ian Walker Published March 29, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsNier Replicant Gets Off To A Really Slow Start
After playing and being thoroughly wrecked by Nier: Automata, I was curious if Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139… the “version up” (since according to the developers it’s not a remake or a remaster) of the original Nier would inspire similar emotional devastation. I have dim memories of the first game. I remember the gruff dad and the…
By Ash Parrish Published March 29, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsChill City-Builder Forever
Life is hard. Sometimes games are hard, and that just reminds me that life is hard, and then everything feels too damn hard. Not early access city-builder Dorfromantik, though. That game is just the right amount of chill. Dorfromantik came to Steam early access last week. You’re given a stack of hexagonal tiles with landmarks…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 29, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s A Game You Like That Doesn’t Get Enough Love?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: What’s a game you like that doesn’t get enough love? Alexandra It’s Bionic Commando (2009). The game famously bombed and sure enough, there’s plenty wrong with…
By Alexandra Hall Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureAnother Charizard Card Sells For Over $300,000
Pokémon cards have been having a bit of a boom lately, and nowhere is that more obvious than in auctions for the holographic Charizard card that acted as the base set’s crown jewel in 1999. A third card featuring the fire lizard recently sold for over $300,000. The eBay auction, which closed Sunday evening, started…
By Ian Walker Published March 29, 2021 -
CultureSony Closing PlayStation Store On PS3, Vita, And PSP This Summer
Sony has confirmed today that the PSN digital stores on PlayStation 3 and PSP will be closing on July 2. The PS Vita store will also shut down on August 27. Players will still be able to download games after the stores shut down. Today, Sony updated the important notice section of its official site…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 29, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesI Finally Fixed An Annoying PS5 Icon Glitch
Late last year, I replayed Assassin’s Creed III via the remastered PS4 edition. I played it on my PS5 and after completing it, I deleted the game. Yet its digital ghost haunted my PS5 for months. Finally, this weekend, I removed it thanks to a random Twitter user and Greg Miller. I installed Assassin’s Creed…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 29, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanMan Arrested Following Daring Pokémon Card Robbery
A 28-year-old Tokyo resident has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a trading card shop atop a six-story building to steal Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, after climbing over the side of the building with a rope. Mainichi reports that in the early morning hours last week, Kensuke Nakanishi anchored a rope to a railing on the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2021
