-
The Division 2’s Secrets Were Developed In Secret, Even In The Studio
The development team behind The Division 2 might have been literally and figuratively Massive, but the riddles sprinkled into the game for players to solve were concocted by just four people, according to creative director Julian Gerighty. Those riddles have been the most prominent example of a batch of mysteries woven into a game that…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 4, 2019 -
Fallout 76 Player Turns Their Camp Into A Disco For Mutant Cows
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Flames bursting out of the walls of a haunted church. A labyrinth funneling vault dwellers into the clutches of a hungry Deathclaw. And now this: a disco full of Brahmin getting down and getting electrocuted. As GamesRadar points out, some Fallout 76 players have become obsessed with Brahmin,…
By Ethan Gach Published April 4, 2019 -
New Windows Game Bar Does Spotify, Friends And Memes
The Game Bar is what pops up when someone presses the Windows key plus G while playing a game on a Windows PC, giving quick access to screenshot, capture, and streaming tools. Now it does a bit more: Friends lists, messaging, Spotify access and the ability to drop funny text on screenshots. Or just regular…
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2019 -
Change To EA’s Community Management Safety Policies Was Badly Needed, Sources Say
The video game giant Electronic Arts says it is improving its systems for elevating safety and harassment issues that emerge from its player communities in order to ensure the company addresses them. The changes have been a long time coming and are desperately needed, sources tell Kotaku “Recently, we’ve updated our escalation procedure for all…
By Gita Jackson Published April 4, 2019 -
Islanders Is Almost The Perfect City-Building Game
When I first saw Islanders last month, I thought it was going to be very chill, but also barely a game. I was only half right. The chill part is definitely right. This is a very light and breezy game, its beautiful colour palette and lo-fi soundtrack making it the perfect thing to boot up,…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 4, 2019 -
Fan-Made Overwatch Mode Makes Players Rely On Each Other To See
Overwatch is a game where visual language is paramount to keep the fast-moving action readable. Characters, for example, are designed so that their unique silhouettes are eye-popping even from far away. It also helps to be able to see anything literally at all—something you really come to appreciate when 90 percent of the screen is…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 4, 2019 -
This week’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen digs into some of the behind-the-scenes and after-effects of our BioWare reporting. We also talk about the brilliant Baba Is You, Sekiro, and Phoenix Wright. You can listen to the show on your favorite podcast provider or right here:
By Jason Schreier Published April 4, 2019 -
Invisible Beetle Is The Key To A New Donkey Kong Country 2 World Record
One of Donkey Kong Country 2’s best speedrunners, who goes by V0oid, recently took first-place in the game’s 102 percent category, completing and collecting everything in the game in 1:26:28. He’d been working on it for months, but was able to shave a full nine seconds off the previous record thanks to a newly discovered…
By Ethan Gach Published April 4, 2019 -
I Video Gamed So Hard That I Broke My Xbox Elite Controller
I don’t have many strong feelings about video game controllers, except for this: The Xbox Elite Controller is the most comfortable thing on the planet. It’s a highly customizable and reliable option for any video game enthusiast. But last night, I encountered a problem. The shoulder button broke, turning limp and useless. My Elite controller…
By Heather Alexandra Published April 4, 2019 -
We loved Runic Games’ Hobwhen it came out for PC and PS4 in 2017. Now Hob: The Definitive Edition is out for the Switch, and it’s just as lovable. Panic Button’s Switch port of the open-world adventure runs very well, and includes Switch exclusive features like HD rumble and touch screen support.
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2019 -
Ubisoft’s Starlink Won’t Get Any New Toys
Ubisoft’s 2018 game Starlink: Battle for Atlas gives players a choice between purchasing physical toy spaceships, pilots and weapons to use in-game or paying substantially less for purely digital versions. It looks like the digital version won, as Ubisoft announced today there will be no more physical toys created for the game. While there are…
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2019 -
BioWare Boss Addresses Studio Issues, Vows To ‘Continue Working To Solve Them’
The head of BioWare addressed a Kotaku report on the studio’s cultural issues yesterday afternoon, acknowledging that “these problems are real” and promising that it is “our top priority to continue working to solve them.” On Tuesday, Kotaku posted an investigation into what had happened behind the scenes on Anthem, a story that also dived…
By Jason Schreier Published April 4, 2019 -
Minecraft With Fancy Lighting Looks Great
Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders is a shaderpack that adds the kinds of effects we normally associate with ray-tracing— like light that’s able to bounce off other objects—to ol’ blocky-ass Minecraft, and do it while you’re playing in real-time. It’s not technically ray-tracing (he’s actually using path-tracing), but the effects are still incredible. Here are some…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2019 -
Destiny’s Books of Sorrow Changed Its Lore For Good
“Video game lore” seems like an oxymoron, at first. “Lore” suggests mystery, something known only to a few. Yet here we are, drowning in the stuff. So much of it taken for granted that it’s often a surprise when we look at a game’s lore and notice, like we did with Destiny five years ago,…
By Joshua Rivera Published April 3, 2019
