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  How’s That Gears Of War Movie Coming Along?

  Unlike certain other big-name gaming franchises, it looks like a Gears of War movie may actually get made. So how’s it shaping up? Screenwriter Chris Morgan has an update. Speaking with MTV, the Wanted and Fast & Furious writer says that a first draft of the screenplay is in, and that consequently the studio (New…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2009
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  That Crecente Guy Sure Is Influential

  GamePro is listing its 20 most influential people in gaming from 1989 to 2009. Ranked at number 20 is Kotaku Managing Editor Brian Crecente — or as GamePro calls him “The Provocateur“. How provocative. “Kotaku was a little-known, little-read blog in Gawker Media’s online publishing empire until Brian Crecente transformed it into the PR-terrorizing powerhouse…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 6, 2009
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  Microsoft’s In-Game Ad Company Hit By, Ahem, Massive Layoffs [Update]

  We’ve heard today that, as part of Microsoft’s already-announced round of 5000 job cuts, up to 75% of the workforce at Microsoft’s in-game advertising service, Massive, have been laid off. With advertising down across the board thanks to the economic slowdown – and with the opportunities presented by in-game advertising perhaps not as great as…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 5, 2009
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  Which King of Fighters XII Cover Do You Want?

  There are two fighters: Iori Yagami or Kyo Kusanagi. American publisher Ignition has narrowed down the choices for The King of Fighters XII cover boy and is asking folks to choose between these rivals. Because forthcoming The King of Fighters XII is a multi-platform game, there are actually four different covers to choose from. Us?…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 5, 2009
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  Here, Your New Dawn Of War II Maps

  As part of the big Dawn of War II update announced last week, Relic will be releasing two new maps for the game. This is what they look like. Both maps are built for the game’s new 2v2 multiplayer mode, and while there’s nothing terribly new about them (they’re both built using Calderis assets, so…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 5, 2009
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  Marvel: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Slated For June Release

  In its financial report, comic book giant Marvel dated the re-release of classic fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2. That date is June 29. And that date is, if you check your calendars, a Monday. Marvel does note “scheduled release dates are subject to change” in its report, so that means just that: this release date…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 5, 2009
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  A Day Without A Crecente

  To: Ashcraft From: McWhertor Re: I Like My Women Like I Like My Gamers – Covered In Fingers Another day, another panic-filled dozen or so posts on Kotaku, frantically hoping that Brian “Mr. Infuential” Crecente will show his face at Kotaku Towers. Ironically, the man is a mere 17 miles away from my house right…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  EA Spring Break Event Round-Up

  The embargoes for the EA Spring Break Event were spaced out throughout the month of April and into early May, but now that they’ve all expired, we can put them in one convenient post. The only games missing from this list that were at the event are Spore Hero, Battlefield Heroes and Need for Speed:…

  By AJ Glasser Published May 5, 2009
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  Screenshots From Movie Games You Only Wish Existed

  A recent competition tasked the members of the Game Artist Forums with creating scenes from famous movies using Unreal Engine 3.0 and CryEngine 2. The results are dreamy. There were entries covering everything from Hellboy to Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, but the best are those we’ve selected below, with locations modelled from Blade…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 5, 2009
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  The Sims 3 iPhone Screens May Touch You

  It’s been a while since we’ve seen or heard of EA Mobile’s The Sims 3 for the iPhone, but these new screens say it all. They just say it in Simlish. Based on the images, we can see character customization as well as open-world neighborhood and potential inter-Sim interaction. What we’re not seeing is the…

  By AJ Glasser Published May 5, 2009
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  BlizzCon Tickets Go On Sale May 16, Event To Be Streamed Online

  Blizzard’s fourth annual convention of all things WarCraft, Starcraft and Diablo touches down in Anaheim, California this August. The highly coveted, hard-to-come-by first tickets to BlizzCon 09 go on sale May 16th. If you plan on going, you’d better prepare, as getting one’s hands on BlizzCon tickets is no easy quest. But Blizzard’s streamlining the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  EA Showed More Love To PC And DS Last Year

  One giant games publisher. Ten gaming platforms. Lots of shifting support from 2007 to last year. EA backed some, bailed on others. EA published 111 console, PC and handheld games during its 2008 fiscal year, not counting cell phone games. According to the company’s official financial filings, here’s how they spread their efforts: EA game…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 5, 2009
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  Valve Teases Team Fortress 2’s Close Range Sniper Update

  The Team Fortress 2 team isn’t quite yet ready to reveal what changes are in store for the game’s Sniper class, on deck to receive new unlockables, but it’s quite ready to tease those additions. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Valve will go ahead with its April Fool’s Day plans to add jars of Sniper…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  What Bayonetta Prototype Footage Looked Like One Month In

  Platinum Games’ Bayonetta didn’t always look this good in motion. Before the gun-happy witch had her posterior so perfectly modeled and her hair so expertly coiffed, she looked… rough. The Platinum Games YouTube channel (via Unseen 64) shows off what the Sega game looked like when it was just about a month old, well before…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  Microsoft’s Rumored Motion Controller May Be The ZCam

  Microsoft may finally be ready to make good on extended threats of a motion sensing controller for the Xbox 360 at this year’s E3, with a rumored camera accessory reportedly in the works. Last week, Engadget wrote that Microsoft’s long-rumored motion controller pursuits were real and that its solution was coming in the form of…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  EA Expects Wii MotionPlus Bundles To Help Sales, Have Little Impact On Profits

  With Nintendo’s own Wii Sports Resort on ice until July, third parties will have the Wii MotionPlus hardware add-on all to themselves. First to take advantage of the new motion control accessory is Electronic Arts. That’s a very good thing for the company, which has hitched its development wagon to the Wii. The company is…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Looks More Stunning Than We Thought

  .html Maybe Namco Bandai is releasing the PSP version of Soulcalibur—which looks a hell of a lot like Soulcalibur IV—with some sort of Super FX chip built in to the UMD. Because this looks spectacular. Beyond PSP expectations spectacular, that is. The first trailer for Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny , while looking very much like a…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  Mario, Kirby Get Gory With 8-Bit Fatalities

  Mario may have racked up billions of kills during his decades-long career, sending Goombas, Koopas and Bloopers to their deaths. But Mario’s not generally considered violent. Steven Lefcourt’s “8-Bit Fatalities” series may change that assumption. Lefcourt explores the gorier side of traditionally non-violent video game characters, including Pac-Man, Mario and Kirby, giving us a peek…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  About Kotaku Reviews

  Earlier this year, Kotaku began running its reviews under a unified template that was designed with a trio of key components in mind. First, there would be no alphabetical or numerical review scores. Second, reviews would be focused on delivering the most critical information in the most efficient way possible. Third, they should be fun…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 5, 2009
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  EA’s Wii Business Nearly Doubled Last Year

  EA embraced the Wii last year and the Wii embraced it right back, with the percentage of revenue due to the Nintendo console nearly doubling over the previous year. According to the company’s recently released financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009, 14% of EA’s revenue was generated by Nintendo Wii titles…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 5, 2009