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The BestsThe Best Moments In E3 History, RIP Edition
The ESA has officially killed and buried E3, so let’s look back at the show’s brightest moments
Luke Plunkett & Levi Winslow Published June 7, 2021 -
CultureActivision Hires Yet Another Former Republican Big Wig
It seems that Activision has a type. After hiring former George W. Bush-era counterterrorism appointee Frances F. Townsend and controversial Trump administration member Brian Bulatao in March, the mega-publisher has now rounded out its ranks with a third ex-member of a Republican Presidential administration: former George W. Bush White House lawyer Grant Dixton. Activision disclosed…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 4, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Ops Cold War’s Multi-Team Elimination Is Almost Blackout 2.0
A lot of new stuff arrived with Call of Duty’s mid-season “Reloaded” update last week. It’s easy to get distracted by the ‘80s Action Hero event’s challenges and modes, but hidden in the mix is “Multi-Team Elimination,” a Fireteam mode for Black Ops Cold War that’s worth checking out. Most of Reloaded arrived on May…
By S.E. Doster Published May 24, 2021 -
CultureOver 500,000 Cheaters Are Now Banned From Call Of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty Warzone developer Raven Software recently announced that over 30,000 new Warzone accounts were banned. According to the studio, that brings the total number of banned accounts to over half a million. Warzone has had a problem with cheaters since essentially day one. Since then, Activision and Raven Software have continued to fight…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 16, 2021 -
CultureActivision Cuts Ties With Call Of Duty Voice Actor Following Sexist Remarks
Activision has cut ties with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019’s Ghost voice actor Jeff Leach after a video montage was released showing him using sexist and misogynistic insults and language. Leach also voiced Ghost in Warzone In a Twitter video posted on May 7 by NitroLukeDX, Leach is seen using misogynistic language. In the…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 9, 2021 -
OpinionNow Every Single Activision Studio Works On Call Of Duty [Update]
Yesterday, Activision-owned studio Toys For Bob announced that it was going to provide development support for the latest season of Call of Duty Warzone. The studio had previously worked on its own games, such as last year’s fantastic Crash Bandicoot 4, but has now effectively been consumed by the ever-growing monster that is Call of…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 30, 2021 -
CultureActivision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Halves Pay, Still Rich
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is voluntarily halving his salary, as well as his target annual bonus. But in case you were worried, he’s still making a ton of money. Recent SEC filings show the salary cut as a reduction to $875,000, down from $1,750,000. The annual bonus cut, meanwhile, is “a potential reduction of…
By Riley MacLeod Published April 29, 2021 -
CultureRiot Co-Founder Courageously Tweets, Deletes ‘Critical Race Theory’ Dog Whistle
“Critical race theory” is the right’s latest buzz phrase in service of silencing discussion of America’s racist past and how it informs the country’s still very racist present. Last night, Riot co-founder and chairman Marc Merrill tweeted and quoted an article about how critical race theory is “a threat” from a journalist whose work informed…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 23, 2021 -
CultureCall of Duty Gets ’80s Map For Season Three
Following yesterday’s Warzone nuke events, Call of Duty’s Season Three has officially begun for both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Season Three introduces a “new” Warzone map, while Cold War gets new multiplayer maps, weapons, operators, Zombies updates, and more. There’s also a new 100-tier Battle Pass to grind. It’s a lot of what…
By S.E. Doster Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureTwitchThe NFT Bubble Might Be Bursting, But Streamers And Esports Orgs Are Still Getting In On It
As of last month, the age of NFTs was officially upon us. As of this month, it might be on its way out. Average prices have declined by as much as 70% since a peak in February, according to Bloomberg. That, however, has not stopped big-name streaming and esports figures from announcing their own NFT…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 9, 2021 -
CultureOops, Activision Forgot About The Streisand Effect
I can’t fully express how little I care about Call of Duty: Warzone or any leaks thereof. What I do love, however, is giant gaming conglomerates making fools of themselves, and Activision Blizzard really stepped in it this morning when it used draconian copyright law to try to cover up a trivial news story about…
By Ian Walker Published April 1, 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 -
OpinionSo-Called Pirates Are Doing The Work When Publishers Fail To Preserve Their Games
Yesterday, TheGamer reported that Sony has plans to shut down the online PS3, PS Vita, and PSP stores that service those older consoles. While this has yet to be confirmed, and Sony has not responded to Kotaku’s request for comment, the internet discourse around this potentially troubling news immediately began to swirl. If these stores…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 23, 2021 -
CultureMorning CheckpointBlack Panther Coming To Avengers, Gotham Knights Delayed, Outriders Launching On Game Pass And More
This week on Morning Checkpoint we celebrate the death of Fortnite’s Peely, learn more about upcoming Square Enix games, see who’s the next big hero coming to Avengers, eat a baby(?) and get a look at the next generation of PSVR controllers. Great Kotaku Content From The Past Week I hope this grows into a…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 20, 2021 -
CultureSplitscreenNFTs? No Fucking Thank You
Video games are expensive. They have been expensive for a very long time, and they keep getting more expensive. To an extent, it makes sense: Game developers need to eat! But after a certain point, it gets excessive. Loot boxes, gacha, and now NFTs are signs of that excess. On this week’s Splitscreen, we talk…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 19, 2021 -
CultureReport: More Layoffs Loom As Activision Blizzard Moves To Close European Publishing Offices
Activision Blizzard is planning to close its publishing offices in Europe and lay off even more employees in the process, according to a new report byGamesIndustry.biz In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, an Activision Blizzard rep explained that the move comes as a result of players “increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally.” “We…
By Ian Walker Published March 19, 2021 -
CultureActivision Yanks Crossbow It Accidently Released Early Even After Players Spent Time Grinding For It [Update]
What Call of Duty giveth, Call of Duty taketh away. Yesterday, a fancy new crossbow went live in Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops Cold War by accident, and now players who spent hours trying to unlock it are frustrated that Activision has taken it back out of the game. As Eurogamer reports, players…
By Ethan Gach Published March 19, 2021
