Valve Explains Dota 2‘s Missing Diretide Event, Will Release It Soon

Valve made a lot of people angry this year when they elected not to ship a Diretide event for Dota 2. They’ve reversed course in a new blog post today, explaining why Diretide hadn’t been planned for this year and saying that the event will be included in the game’s next update. Diretide is a…

The Beautiful, Beardy Banner Saga Is Out In January

Vikings and dead gods and crazy gorgeous animation—this trailer’s got everything you could possibly want on a Friday night. The Banner Saga, the gorgeous RPG that was successfully Kickstartered back in 2012, now has an official release date: January 14, 2014 for PC and Mac. Can’t wait.

​Blizzard’s Chris Metzen Could’ve Been A Heavy Metal Frontman

Blizzard games have always had a little bit of heavy metal to them. So it’s fitting that Chris Metzen, one of their most beloved developers, brought a touch of the rock to his opening keynote today at BlizzCon. Our video editor Chris Person cut together this highlight reel of Metzen’s greatest roars. Sit back, relax,…

World Of Warcraft‘s Coolest New Feature? Garrison Building.

Like Mists of Pandaria’s Pokemon before it, the new Garrison feature in World of Warcraft’s Warlords of Draenor expansion doesn’t have much to do with traditional MMO gameplay, which is probably why I find it so intriguing. That, and the collecting people thing. Garrisons, explained today during the “What’s Next” panel today at BlizzCon 2013,…

One Map Ensured A “Battlefield Moment” Every Match

I’ve been playing the Battlefield series since the original game, Battlefield 1942. Any long-time Battlefield player will tell you what makes the series great are the random moments where something happens that you didn’t know was possible. But in Battlefield 3, one map let you re-create that moment every match. So you’re playing Battlefield 3.…

How World Of Warcraft: Warlords Of Draenor Goes Back In Time

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor takes players of Blizzard’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game back to the time of the original Warcraft real-time strategy series. How does that all go down? It’s Garrosh’s fault. During the “World of Warcraft: What’s Next” panel at BlizzCon 2013, Blizzard’s Chris Metzen walked the crowd through how players…

How The Last Generation Changed JRPGs For The Better

One of this generation’s most controversial JRPG trends might also turn out to be its best. When Team Kotaku first started planning out our Last-Gen Heroesfeature, I started thinking about how JRPGs have evolved over the past generation—a generation that some would argue has been disastrous for the genre. Between a polarizing thirteenth Final Fantasy,…

Hearthstone, Blizzard’s online trading card game, will get an iPhone and Android port next year, Blizzard just announced. The open beta for the game starts next month.

Blizzard’s Heroes Of The Storm Looks Spectacular

During the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2013, Blizzard showed off the latest gameplay footage for the all-star MOBA they are calling Blizzard: The Game, Heroes of the Storm. That looks spectacular. Almost as good as the cinematic trailer Blizzard opened the Heroes of the Storm segment with. Beta signups for the game should be live…

Brothers, Plus and LIVE Discounts, Tearaway, Eneloop Pack [Deals]

New deals abound and great deals from yesterday persist. For your weekend gaming fix, pick up the excellent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which occupies Game of the Year shortlists for many a game journalist. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [Steam] ($9) | GreenmanGaming | Use code GMG20-P6Y1F-KC19F Don’t forget to put in…

GameStop Is Super Helpful, Reminds You To Get Xbox Live For Your PS4

The new consoles are coming, and GameStop’s monthly newsletter for November has several helpful suggestions for launch day accessories that’ll maximize your PlayStation 4 experience, like additional controllers, the new Eye Camera, and a relatively useless small plastic rectangle. Pointed out to us by several readers and appearing in my own inbox (I’m a Rewards…

The Hunger Games Recreated With Cats That Don’t Care

Cats don’t care that these children are forced to fight each other for others’ amusement. They don’t care about how cute Jennifer Lawrence is. They also don’t care that you think Battle Royale was better (it was). But they’re still the stars of this speed run through the general plot by The Pet Collective. They’re…