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Hope You Like Ads, Because Battlefield 3 Will Shovel Lots at You
This may have been a prediction. It sure as hell sounds like a threat. This year, Activision and Electronic Arts will both spend more on the marketing for two games than many publishers will ever spend on developing one, said Electronic Arts’ CEO. As he was speaking to a conference of advertisers, it was surely…
By Owen Good Published April 6, 2011 -
Call of Duty: Black Ops‘ ‘Escalation’ Add-on Pegged For May
Activision’s massively successful Call of Duty: Black Ops appears set to expand in May with the “Escalation” Content Pack for Xbox 360, according to a retailer listing from the Australian arm of GAME. What’s in Escalation? According to that purported listing, spotted by VG247, Escalation looks to feature four multiplayer maps and one new level…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 5, 2011 -
See The First Spectacular Trailer And Amazing Screens For Spider-Man: Edge Of Time
In order to help the Amazing Spider-Man save the future, Spider-Man 2099 has to save the past. That’s the kind of convoluted story you get when you start messing with temporal physics, but who cares when it looks this good? Activision and developer Beenox of Shattered Dimensions fame showed off Spidey’s latest time-twisted adventure this…
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2011 -
Sponsored by Games, but Racing for Gamers
Most single men don’t pay much attention to which brand of laundry detergent they buy, beyond whatever’s cheapest. But back in North Carolina, I had a friend who was adamant about using Tide and could identify others who used it by their scent. That’s because Tide was the hood sponsor of Ricky Rudd, his favorite…
By Owen Good Published April 2, 2011 -
Modern Warfare Makers Complain Of Secret Call of Duty Games And More Broken Promises
“Don’t worry about it. It’s impossible for you guys to get fired,” Activision boss Bobby Kotick told Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella in 2008, according to a new cross-complaint filed today in a Los Angeles court. Two years and one Call of Duty game later, the creators of the billion dollar war…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 1, 2011 -
Return To 2099 In Spider-Man: Edge Of Time
Developer Beenox and Activision cross continuities again in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, a time-hopping adventure that’s one part Amazing Spider-Man, one part Spider-Man 2099. One Spider-Man just isn’t enough for developer Beenox. After giving four Spideys a try in Shattered Dimensions the team trims things down to two in Edge of Time. The untimely death…
By Mike Fahey Published March 31, 2011 -
Which Game Companies Do You Trust?
In today’s episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Kadin is curious to know which video game hardware and software companies have earned your trust over the years, and which have lost it. Where does your trust lie? Which of the big companies out there has earned your trust and which of them has lost it?…
By Mike Fahey Published March 23, 2011 -
The Next Spider-Man Video Game Shall Soon Be Revealed
Following up on the compelling-yet-flawed Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Activision once again taps developer Beenox to handle the next Spider game, with a grand reveal slotted during a panel at next month’s Wondercon in San Francisco, with some very special guests. While I wasn’t a big fan of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions overall, I did appreciate the…
By Mike Fahey Published March 22, 2011 -
A New, Improved Look At X-Men Destiny And Its Teenage Mutant Ninja Girl
The last time we got a look at X-Men Destiny, the merry mutant adventure from the House of Ideas and Silicon Knights, we cooled to its look and feel. But our latest peek at the game and new X-character Aimi Yoshida has us warming up to Activision’s latest. Yoshida, pitched as a minute 15-year-old Japanese…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 22, 2011 -
Call Of Duty‘s Cover Competition Has 32 Candidates, And The Fans Are One
Never one to let Electronic Arts steal a march on it, Activision will be holding a vote (hint: they’re not really) for its flagship franchise, allowing fans to select who (or what) will appear on the cover of the next Call of Duty game. You can place your vote in the comments section below. The…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 22, 2011 -
PC Gamers Get Black Ops First Strike Last On March 25
PC gamer holdouts get their first Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, “First Strike,” later this week on March 25. If fifteen bucks is a touch too steep, Steam will knock off 10% of that for those who pre-order
By Michael McWhertor Published March 21, 2011 -
Judge: $400 Million Activision Vs. Electronic Arts Lawsuit is a go
A California judge ruled this week that Activision Blizzard Inc. has enough evidence to proceed with their $400 million lawsuit against Electronic Arts over the loss of developers Jason West and Vince Zampella. The Modern Warfare suite kicked off a flurry or suits and counter-suits, each one more fanciful and surreal then the last
By Brian Crecente Published March 18, 2011 -
Prototype 2 Will, At The Very Least, Have Nice Corpse Throwing Physics
Prototype 2 isn’t due out until sometime in 2012, so early video of Radical Entertainment’s game can easily be forgiven for being light on substance. If you’re looking forward to next year’s Prototype sequel or simply enjoy video game trailers featuring harpsichord, give this one—”Heller Throws Down”—some eyeball time.
By Michael McWhertor Published March 14, 2011 -
Transformers Dark of the Moon Is A Triple-Changin’ Good Time
There’s even more more than meets the eye in the next Transformers game, High Moon Studios’ take on the Michael Bay explode-a-thon Transformers: Dark of the Moon. This is a movie game from the studio responsible for the great Transformers: War For Cybertron, so maybe silence your movie game prejudices. We got a peek at…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 10, 2011 -
Activision Wants To Make A Dance Hero Out Of You
Back in 2008, Activision applied for a trademark for a game called Dance Hero. Then…we all forgot about it. Now, it seems, the publisher might actually be releasing the thing. While the world was busy lamenting (or celebrating) the demise of the Guitar and DJ Hero franchises, Activision seems intent to carry on and release…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 8, 2011 -
Why All The Call Of Duty Hate?
Today in Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter WhoKnew? wants to know where all of the Call of Duty hate is coming from. Is it just because it’s beautiful? So, Kotaku-ians, why all the Call of Duty hate? Sure, people don’t like Kotick and his DLC antics. Sure, the games been running on the same engine since…
By Mike Fahey Published March 4, 2011 -
The Source of the Call of Duty Hoax is Revealed [Update]
The source of the stir created by a Modern Warfare-themed countdown site – believed to be announcing another sequel, or a competitor’s – has been traced to a Canadian troupe set to debut a Modern Warfare film next week. Geoff Keighley of GTTV reports that “We Can Pretend,” a Toronto-based artist’s collective, is behind both…
By Owen Good Published February 27, 2011