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J-pop legends Sheena Ringo and Hikaru Utada have collaborated once again on a new song that 1. is awesome, and 2. has a music video featuring a futuristic tabletop version of Tetris. I wish it were real so I could play it with Paul Tamayo (who would destroy me).

Survival game This War of Mine got a free update on PC today to celebrate the game’s five year anniversary. The update adds “a new character, new classic scenario, and more quests and events on the locations known from Stories episode,” as well as graphical overhauls.

I Think I’ve Been Bullied Into Getting A Pokémon Game

For most of my life, I have not played Pokémon games, and I’ve been fine with that. Like a lot of people my age, I was swept up in Pokémania and loved Red/Blue and later, Gold/Silver, but after that, I just sort of moved on. Pokémon was my gateway to the wider world of Japanese…

Want to know how the arcade scene has changed in Japan? According to Abema Times, there were over 26,000 arcades in 1986. As of last year, there were around 4,000. For more on the challenges arcades are having in Japan, check out Kotaku’s previous coverage 

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club dropped some wonderful news overnight: Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown will both come out on December 10. The first, a bonus campaign to the original game, and the second, a multiplayer fighting game spinoff, were originally set to release last April.

Netflix’s Witcher series will get a second season, Netflix tweeted today. Season 1 premieres December 20.

Amazing game designer “Strangethink” has announced that all of their games are being removed from itchio, since the platform’s client app apparently does a horrible job helping players find the “pay what you want” option. These are good gamesand I recommend getting them before they are gone for good.

Final Fantasy XIV’s New Community Crafting Event Is Surprisingly Hype

When folks think of Final Fantasy XIV, they probably think of hardcore raiding groups or a stellar story mode. Crafting is important but not quite as heroic. A new activity to rebuild a war-torn city, though, brings tons of experience points and excitement. The Ishgard Restoration launched yesterday during a new patch, allowing players to…

He’s back! Kazuma Kiryu makes an appearance in the latest Yakuza 7 (aka Yakuza: Like a Dragon) trailer. The game, which Kotaku checked out at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, stars new Ichiban Kasuga as the new series protagonist.  

Red Dead’s Giant Catfish Has Finally Been Caught (In The Game’s Files)

For years, well, one year, since ’18, there’ve been talk of a strange catfish lurkin’ beneath the waters of Red Ded Redemption 2’s channel. I ain’t never seen such a catfish, but folks playin’ the game on the PC reckon it’s there. You just gotta look harder Specifically, in the game’s files, where PC players—like…

FairTube, a group pushing for YouTubers to unionize that has backing from the largest trade union in the EU, has commented on YouTube’s controversial new terms of the service The new terms give the company “sole discretion” to remove videos that are “no longer commercially viable,” which has led to renewed calls for unionization from…

I’m playing The Stretchers LIVE with Stephen on Kotaku’s Twitch channel right now! Come join us in the chat.

Adult Game Billboard Removed In Akihabara For Being Too Lewd

On November 1, a billboard went up in Tokyo’s Akihabara near the station. The advertisement featured about ten anime-style young women in revealing clothing. Besides the complaints, the billboard did not conform to regulations regarding public advertisements. Editor’s note: This article contains imagery some readers might find objectionable. The billboard is for an adult game…

Here’s the lineup of games that will be on Google Stadia when it launches next week, including the Tomb Raider trilogy, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Red Dead Redemption II. All of these games are sold separately, of course, so it’ll be interesting to see how people react to Google’s ambitious streaming platform.

Peak ‘OK Boomer’ Reached As Naruto Voice Actor Says It On Camera

Only a couple of weeks into the meme, we’ve already reached peak “OK boomer.” How do I know that? Someone got Naruto’s voice actor to say it at a convention this weekend, and frankly, I don’t think I ever need to hear it again. In a Reddit post, an attendee of Minneapolis convention Galaxy Con…

The Tsukiji Fish Market might be gone, but its memories live on in Kotaku articles and in digital recreations. The short film Memories of Tsukiji, which premieres this December in Tokyo, brings the market to life thanks to photogrammetry and point cloud technology. More info on the movie’s official site. 

Odaiba. Tokyo, Japan. By Adrian Tiu. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

This Impressive-Looking Wipeout Inspired Game Was Built In Dreams

Creators continue to make amazing things in the PS4 game creation tool, Dreams. The latest creation to catch my eye is an incredible futuristic racer inspired by the popular Wipeout games. Project Genesis, a channel dedicated to Dreams creations and showcasing the best things people are making,has some gameplay of the game. Slideout 3019, the…

Game Developers Really Love Putting IT Easter Eggs In Their Games

Easter eggs are always fun. A little secret or hidden item that lets players and developers have a connection, for a brief moment. A player jumps into an out of the way tunnel and is rewarded with a little reference or Easter egg. And these secrets help tell us what developers like or care about.…

Someone Mashed Buttons So Fast They Broke Mario Party 4 (Update)

Some folks are just really good at mashing buttons. And everyone has their own technique. Maybe you use two fingers. Maybe you hold the controller weird. Odds are though, you aren’t as good at mashing buttons as Ludwig Ahgren, who mashed so fast and so hard in a Mario Party 4 minigame, Domination, that he…