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Here’s How Sega Thought They Could Sell You A Crappy Kinect Game
Demographic projections. Drip-feed PR. Invoking the name of popular, established games to create interest in new ones. It’s the cold calculus of marketing, also known as everything you hate about modern day video games. Want to know how it works? Here’s a leaked marketing plan from Sega that lays bare the marketing strategy for a…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
Zynga Posts $85 Million Loss
Love-to-hate-em social game developer Zynga has posted a loss of $85.4 million during the period of January-March 2012. Recent months have proven to be a rough patch for the company, with strife breaking out after their acquisition of Draw Something developer OMGPOP and insiders, including the company’s founder, looking to unload their stock Zynga spent…
By Kirk Hamilton Published April 27, 2012 -
Listen Up! Ken Levine and Amy Hennig Are Talking
Game design, particularly for big-budget, blockbuster console titles, is an incredibly tricky and intricate process. In the most recent episode of the Irrational Interviews series, the creative directors of two renowned franchises compare notes on how they work, what creative design really means, and how the games ever get out of the door. Ken Levine,…
By Kate Cox Published April 27, 2012 -
The Emotions Free-to-Play Games Prey on to Get Players to Pay
“In a freemium game it’s not a rational decision to pay; it’s an emotional one.” Wednesday at the East Coast Games Conference in North Carolina, former BioWare design manager Ethan Levy explained how free-to-play games can harness to emotions of their players in order to profit. Up until recently Levy, who delivered the “Game Design…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 -
Skyrim Patch Files Hint at an Incoming Snow Elf Prince and Crossbows
Hints of what’s coming next for Skyrim may be buried in the latest patch for Bethesda’s hit action/RPG. In the lore of The Elder Scrolls V, the Snow Elves have been driven underground by the Nords. But the in-game legends about the mystical race make it sound like they’re former badasses who’ve been laid low…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
That Glorious Moment When Video Games Win Against Marriage
Unlike in-game marriages, real-life marriages can be problematic when video games are involved. Andrew Allen, a USC film student and a lifelong gamer, acts out these troubles in his latest episode of games versus marriage. Featured is Gears of War, which has undoubtedly ruined many people’s social and marriage lives. But Andrew (or, rather, the…
By Tina Amini Published April 27, 2012 -
Word Off Makes Spelling Into A Territorial Death Match
Word Off is, well, a face-off… with words. It’s an asynchronous Scrabble-scored Boggle fight, played on a strategy game’s grid and covered in a Roy Lichtenstein touch. Many word games have a sense of gravitas about them, something in their art style that holds up a hand at shoulder height and says, “You Must Be…
By Kate Cox Published April 27, 2012 -
This Video Puzzle Made with Four iPhones Makes My Brain Hurt
Four iPhones are arranged, rearranged, and rearranged again to the tune of “We Are Young” by Fun. I can barely wrap my brain around how the planning and choreography it took to get this down right. I can’t fathom how much work went into creating this YouTube video, but it took them 238 takes to…
By Tina Amini Published April 27, 2012 -
A Minute’s Worth of Guild Wars Lore
With the first Guild Wars 2 beta weekend kicking off today and the seventh anniversary of the original game in full swing, The Game Station crew attempt to condense the lore of the first into an easy-to-digest one minute video. How’d they do? There are inconsistencies, at least that’s what the folks in the comments…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 -
EVE Online Producers Declare Player’s Attempt to Destroy Game’s Economy “Absolutely Brilliant”
In most MMOs, if a player spearheaded a public, concerted crusade to destroy the game’s economy, the game’s producers would find a way to put a stop to it. But EVE Online isn’t quite like most other MMOs. High-ranking EVE Online player The Mittani was temporarily banned from the game after an unpleasant incident where…
By Kate Cox Published April 27, 2012 -
The Space Shuttle Looks Awesome Flying Across New York’s Skyline
Just like it did over the skies of Washington, D.C. last week, the Space Shuttle made a low-altitude fly-by over the New York City Area this morning. Everybody here at Gawker HQ scrambled to the roof and waited for a few chilly minutes for Enterprise to come into our field of vision. Kotaku’s own Chris…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Welcome to Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, games that aren’t even out yet? Knock yourselves out! Today’s TAYpic gender-bends Snooty Guy into a monster…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
Ask a Game Developer Anything: Your Excellent Questions Answered.
Hey Kotaku readers, I’m back at it again this month. Apparently things went well enough last month that Kotaku decided to keep me going… Well either that or they just forgot to revoke my press badge. Anyway, sorry if I’m a little late, my wife and I had a daughter this month! Our very first…
Jeremiah Slaczka, Creative Director, 5TH Cell Published April 27, 2012 -
There’s a Perfectly Rational Explanation for Why I Was Doing Bourbon Shots Before Noon Yesterday
As the games media panel at the East Coast Games Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina kicked off yesterday, moderator and Epic PR manager Wes Phillips set shot glasses in front of each of the participants. Then he filled them with bourbon. Then came the cupcakes. In the early planning stages of the “Game Media: From…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 -
“People Will Be Happy” Watching These Incredibly Abrupt Old-School Game Endings
You die and die and die. Load up another save, maybe. Finally, you emerge triumphant over the boss battle or end sequence you’ve been struggling with. Nowadays, you’re likely to get a big shiny, fully-voiced cutscene topped off with swelling orchestral music. But that wasn’t the case thirty years ago. Back in the day, the…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U Trailer Hints at Assassin’s Creed Cameo
Rayman Legends is headed to the Wii U, a new leaked trailer reveals. It’s bringing legendary settings, new playable characters, touch screen controls and NFC (near field communication). The trailer shows off the four-person multiplayer as well as its swiped-based touch controls. The clip shows three on Wii-Remotes, and one player using the new Wii…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012 -
Sony Confirms New PS3 Fighting Game, Complete With Stupid Name [UPDATE]
Sony has tonight confirmed the worst-kept secret of 2012; namely, that it will be releasing a first-party PS3 fighting game, and that it’ll actually be called PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale In addition to first-party characters, the game will feature mascots from third-party outfits as well. It’s due on the PS3 this holiday season. You can…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2012
