Kotaku: Posts

Kotaku

38 Days Into 2024 And 6,400+ Video Game Layoffs Have Been Announced

Within the last few years, video game industry layoffs have unfortunately become more commonplace. In 2023, we saw near-weekly layoffs across the entire industry. When the dust had settled, at least 6,000 jobs across publishers, developers, and other video game-related companies had been terminated. Sadly, it appears…

Read more...

Kotaku

All The Shinra Manor Easter Eggs In FF7 Rebirth’s Demo

A recreation of the original 1997 RPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lets us revisit more than a few classic video game locales. The demo is set in Nibelheim, Cloud’s hometown, and it has been beautifully recreated, featuring his and Tifa’s home, the Mt. Nibel reactor, and, of course, Shinra Manor.

Read more...

Kotaku

New Data Seems To Show PS5 Is Outselling Xbox 2:1

We all sort of know that Sony’s PS5 is outselling Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S. Sony gives us sales data, Microsoft hasn’t in years. You generally don’t stay quiet about that stuff when the news is great. And new data seems to indicate what we all suspected: The Xbox Series X/S is getting shellacked by the PS5, with…

Read more...

Kotaku

Pokémon Superfan Made A Working Replica Of Ash's Pokédex

Back when the Pokémon anime first premiered in the ‘90s, nearly every kid had a Pokédex—the renowned red device that identified the delightful creatures—on their wish list. Nearly three decades later, a YouTuber has created a real-life version of the Pokédex using ChatGPT—and it looks like it actually works.

Read more...

Kotaku

Skull And Bones Is Less The Pirate Life And More The Division

After all the delays, trailers, and start-and-stop hype cycles, Ubisoft’s highly(?) anticipated pirate sim, Skull And Bones in beta. The game was meant to release in 2018, then 2019, but at least now there’s an open beta and your progress will carry over into Skull And Bones when it launches on February 16. So, while…

Read more...

Kotaku

PS Plus Just Added 2022’s Most Underrated Action Game

It’s a new month, which means that PlayStation Plus subscribers have a new collection of games to download for free. For February, PS Plus has added Steelrising and Square Enix’s multiplayer shooter Foamstars. But the highlight of the new offerings is Rollerdrome from developer Roll7. The third-person…

Read more...

Kotaku

Kotaku's Weekend Guide: Spiky-Haired Swordsmen And Intergalactic Trailblazers

We’ve arrived at another weekend. But it’s no ordinary weekend, since there’s now a demo for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth we can play through a million times before the game launches on February 29 (there’s also an open-world section that’ll be added to said demo later this month).

Read more...

Kotaku

Halo Season 2 Just Set Up The Franchise's Biggest Moment

The second episode of Halo’s secondseason isn’t bad, by any means, but it’s not quite as memorable as the previous episode. Instead, “Sword” is a reminder that the Halo series is strongest when it focuses on the Spartans’ stories, whether it’s John’s attempts to set the record straight about what happened on…

Read more...

Kotaku

People Can’t Stop Playing Piano In The FF7 Rebirth Demo

If we learned one thing from The Last of Us Part II, it’s that when you give gamers a functional musical instrument, they are going to deliver some wonderful renditions of popular tunes. So, when players discovered that the recently released demo for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth included a piano that you could sit down…

Read more...

Kotaku

Suicide Squad Easter Egg Hints At The Return Of A Beloved Character

Since even before Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched, there’s been a lot of drama surrounding a pivotal scene featuring Batman. Rocksteady’s loot shooter is the continuation of the Batman: Arkham storyline, so fans were naturally interested in how the game uses the caped crusader. Well, a newly discovered…

Read more...

Kotaku

PSA: Switch To Graphics Mode In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ASAP

Before you even set off to scale Mt. Nibel with Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s demo, there are a number of settings you should consider tweaking. While many of the base settings are fine to leave alone, some, like the graphics option, really demand your attention before you dive in (yes, we recommend the…

Read more...

Kotaku

Kotaku Investigates: Where Does The Foam In Foamstars Come From?

Square Enix’s new multiplayer shooter Foamstars is out now on PlayStation as a part of PlayStation Plus, and there is one question on the top of everybody’s mind. Not “is the game good?” That seems to be a resounding no (check out our impressions for more on that). The question is: Where exactly does the foam in Foamst…

Read more...

Kotaku

Subnautica 2 Devs Quickly Clarify That, No, The Game Isn’t A Live-Service Thing

Video game publisher Krafton released a report that seemed to imply underwater survival sim Subnautica 2 would be a multiplayer-focused live-service game, which disappointed and frustrated many fans. But now the devs have quickly clarified that no, this isn’t the case and instead the game is going to just receive…

Read more...

Kotaku

GTA 6 Trailer Painstakingly Recreated In IRL Miami

Since its release in late 2023, the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer has become one of the biggest, most-watched video game ads in history. And now, a YouTuber has recreated scenes from the trailer in Miami (the game is set in a fictitious version of the Florida city) to create one of the most impressive side-by-side…

Read more...

Kotaku

How To Get Persona 3 Reload’s True Ending

Persona 3 Reload, Atlus’ remake of the PlayStation 2 classic, is a 70+ hour-long RPG. Wouldn’t you hate to play all that video game, with all the dungeon crawling, social linking, and question-answering, just to mess up and take a wrong turn, resulting in reaching its “bad” ending? We’re always here to give you advice…

Read more...

Kotaku

All The Xbox Games Rumored To Come To PS5 & Switch

Recently, the games industry has been shaken by news that could change the dynamic between console giants Xbox and PlayStation. A number of recent leaks suggested that Microsoft may be planning to put aside exclusivity and bring its catalog of titles like Halo to rival platforms…even to the PS5 This fans of this rumor…

Read more...

Kotaku

Seems Like Dakota Johnson Kinda Hates Madame Web

The SAG-AFTRA strike this summer was huge and important and powerful, but there was one thing we kind of missed during those long, quiet months: deeply unhinged press tours. Luckily, the actors have really delivered on this front in the time they’ve been back. Hugh Grant compared his oompa-loompa mocap suit for Wonka

Read more...

Kotaku

Overwatch 2 Is Reworking Its Ranked Mode, We Are So Back

Last year, Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard promised that changes were coming to the hero shooter’s competitive mode, the ranked version of the traditional 5v5 (once 6v6) gameplay. At the time, it wasn’t clear when the changes were coming or what they would be, but as a competitive sicko with 780 hours logged in the…

Read more...

Kotaku

Overwatch 2’s Season 9 Brings Some Of The Most Drastic Changes Yet

Overwatch 2’s ninth season is going to be a big shift for the hero shooter when it starts on February 13. Alongside implementing the previously announced passive healing for all heroes, season 9 is bringing other sweeping changes geared around increasing hero survivability, but a few other adjustments might help…

Read more...

Kotaku

Don’t Sleep On These Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Combat Tips

A fusion of real-time reaction speed and tactical decision-making, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s combat system is both speedy and strategic. If it’s been a while since you’ve played 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, or if you’re jumping into Rebirth as your first modern FF7 experience, this guide will help you gain…

Read more...

Kotaku

Foamstars Is A Colorful, But Mostly Awful Mess

Square Enix’s new, PlayStation-exclusive, multiplayer foam-combat game—Foamstars—is out now on PS5 and PS4. It’s free for folks who have PlayStation Plus, which means the barrier to entry is low and it’s just your time you’ll waste playing this meh shooter instead of actual money.

Read more...

Kotaku

With Knuckles, The Sonic Movies Make Their MCU Play

We got our first trailer for the Paramount+ Knuckles show on February 8, and it looks like a lot of fun. Idris Elba returns as the titular echidna, and he’s joining forces with the live-action Sonic movies’ comic-relief cop Wade Whipple to deal with the remnants of villain Robotnik’s lackeys after the events of the…

Read more...

Kotaku

Clear Your Calendar For Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Read more...

Kotaku

The Best Build For Black Swan, Honkai: Star Rail’s Mysterious Soothsayer

The first major update to Honkai: Star Rail was released this week in the form of version 2.0. It brings with it a new area to explore, a continuation of the main story, and new characters to pull on the limited banner. Phase 1 of version 2.0 introduces Black Swan, a five-star Wind Nihility character available on the…

Read more...

Kotaku

Switch 2 Is Getting Persona And More Sega Games, Leaker Claims

A week after Persona 3 Reload’s launch, rumors are floating around that the remake, and several other Atlus and Sega games, may be in development for the heavily rumored Nintendo Switch 2. But that’s not the most interesting rumor. The source also claims that long-time fans who have never been able to play the…

Read more...

Kotaku

Halo Season 2's First Episode Hits Harder Than A Gravity Hammer

The team behind the polarizing Halo TV series on Paramount+ really wants to change your mind in season two. In the lead up to the latest season’s debut, everyone from producer Kiki Wolfkill to new showrunner David Wiener and even Master Chief himself (Pablo Schreiber) have told us this is a new angle, not necessarily…

Read more...

Kotaku

Disney Will Develop A 'New Persistent Universe' With Epic Games

Disney is making its biggest push yet into video games. On February 7, the Mouse House and Fortnite creator Epic Games announced plans to create new games and an entertainment universe where consumers can “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar…

Read more...

Kotaku

GameStop Ad Promoting 'Microsoft' Game Pass Leads To More Xbox Chaos

A GameStop tweet promoting a demo day when folks can come in and play some games on Xbox consoles using “Microsoft Game Pass” has injected more chaos and controversy into the ongoing, apocalyptic Xbox drama—set off by reports of exclusive games like Starfield coming to PS5—currently affecting console warriors and…

Read more...

Kotaku

Spider-Man 2's New Game+ Mode And More Coming Next Month

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 is getting the much-requested and previously teased New Game+ option in March, as well as some other “highly requested features” and new suits for Spidey.

Read more...

Kotaku

Sonic 3 Movie Is Bringing Back An All-Time Sonic Adventure 2 Banger

Strap in Sonic Adventure 2 sickos, the main theme from the series’ 3D platformer is going to be in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 live-action movie. Were you worried we’d get some terrible needle drop during a climactic moment? Were you mentally bracing yourself to hear Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” as Sonic and…

Read more...