Latest

E3

mega-events-company-won’t-let-e3-die,-promises-‘return-to-form’-in-2023 E3

Mega Events Company Won’t Let E3 Die, Promises ‘Return To Form’ In 2023

July 7, 2022Kotaku

Like the video game with three endings, or the final boss fight that never ends, E3 refuses to die. Now the video game events world is doubling-down on it. ReedPop—organizers of PAX, New York Comic Con, and Star Wars Celebration—announced Thursday it will take over planning the annual summer gaming showcase, and relaunch it with a “return to form” in 2023. That move raises the stakes of an impending showdown with rival event Summer Game Fest held by Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. E3’s new planners are pitching “exclusive access to the future of gaming” at the overhauled event, and…

Read More
mario-+-rabbids:-sparks-of-hope-launches-october-20,-sees-bowser-join-the-fun E3

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope Launches October 20, Sees Bowser Join The Fun

June 28, 2022Kotaku

Today, during the latest third-party-focused Mini Direct, Nintendo finally announced a release date for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, its cartoonish take on a tactics game made in conjunction with Ubisoft. It’s set to come out on October 20, 2022, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, developed by Ubisoft’s Milan-based outfit, first appeared in an official capacity at the French mega-publisher’s E3 2021 showcase. But, if we’re talking technicalities, the tactics game leaked beforehand, when it showed up on Nintendo’s website hours before the showcase. Whoops! Ironically, Ubisoft also leaked the game’s release date ahead…

Read More
sony’s-skipping-gamescom-2022,-so-forget-about-any-god-of-war-ragnarok-news E3

Sony’s Skipping Gamescom 2022, So Forget About Any God Of War Ragnarök News

June 22, 2022Kotaku

One of the largest video game brands in the world, PlayStation, has confirmed that it will not be a part of the annual Gamescom 2022 trade show, nor will it have any big news or announcements to share during the Opening Night Live event hosted by video game pope, Geoff Keighley. It joins other companies skipping the show this year as the video game industry continues to reckon with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Sony quietly confirmed its decision to not attend Gamescom 2022 via a statement given to Games Wirtschaft, a video game news site in Germany. In the…

Read More
everything-missing-from-this-year’s-not-e3 E3

Everything Missing From This Year’s Not-E3

June 17, 2022Kotaku

Following last night’s back-to-back JRPG stream, not-E3 2022 is officially a wrap. It was a weird one this year. Bethesda finally showed off more than eight seconds of Starfield gameplay, four years after its initial announcement. Several prestigious studios announced remakes of cultural touchstones that may or may not need the remake treatment. A series of indie-driven showcases handily upstaged the big AAA events. It was made even weirder, too, thanks to the outright absence of major publishers like EA and Take-Two Interactive. For all intents and purposes, Ubisoft was MIA, save for a five-minute announcement about an Assassin’s Creed…

Read More
fallout-5-is-bethesda’s-next-game-after-elder-scrolls-6,-will-probably-be-out-by-2050 E3

Fallout 5 Is Bethesda’s Next Game After Elder Scrolls 6, Will Probably Be Out By 2050

June 14, 2022Kotaku

In an interview published today, Bethesda’s creative director Todd Howard revealed the studio’s future plans, explaining that after the Elder Scrolls 6 comes out, the studio’s next game will be Fallout 5, the next main entry in the company’s post-apocalyptic open-world RPG franchise. However, considering how long it takes Bethesda to make these big games, don’t expect either RPG to launch any time in the near future. During an interview with IGN, Howard laid out very clearly and openly what Bethesda Game Studios was going to be working on for the next few years. Specifically, the plan currently is to…

Read More
amid-thin-2022,-microsoft-says-50-games-coming-to-xbox-over-the-next-year E3

Amid Thin 2022, Microsoft Says 50 Games Coming To Xbox Over The Next Year

June 12, 2022Kotaku

Six months into the year, Xbox’s release calendar is looking slim. Fresh off the heels of an absolutely banger 2021, Microsoft hasn’t released a single first-party tentpole in 2022. But that’s all set to change, Microsoft assured viewers today during its big splashy marketing showcase about big splashy games on the horizon. Halfway through today’s show—which offered long-awaited gameplay reveals for feverishly anticipated games like Starfield and Redfall—Xbox boss Phil Spencer showed off a graphic indicating 50 new games would come to Xbox within the next year. Xbox’s official social media feed tweeted out a slightly altered version of the…

Read More
where-to-watch-summer-game-fest’s-big-opening-event E3

Where To Watch Summer Game Fest’s Big Opening Event

June 9, 2022Kotaku

With E3 2022 canceled, there’s a vacuum at the center of the video game marketing season. Many eyes are on Summer Game Fest for being both the lengthiest and the widest-ranging presser on the horizon. But the host, Geoff Keighley, recently saw fit to temper expectations ahead of the show, saying that it won’t be flush with the “world premieres” for which his events have become known. This post was originally published on June 6, 2022.Now in its third year, Summer Game Fest is both a singular event (a showcase featuring trailers from a wide range of video game publishers)…

Read More
e3-says-it’s-coming-back-in-2023 E3

E3 Says It’s Coming Back In 2023

June 8, 2022Kotaku

The Electronic Entertainment Expo used to be the cornerstone of the video game industry, the week that every publisher, developer and fan had circled in their calendars because it was where the biggest news, reveals and interviews of the year could be had. That was then, though, with “then” being any time from the 1990s through to the mid 2010s. As the last decade wore on, though, publishers worked out they could better manage their news cycles by themselves in their own time, and the popularity of online news showcases increased, meaning E3 became less and less relevant as a…

Read More
what-to-expect-from-summer-game-fest’s-big-not-e3-event E3

What To Expect From Summer Game Fest’s Big Not-E3 Event

June 6, 2022Kotaku

With E3 2022 canceled, there’s a vacuum at the center of the video game marketing season. Many eyes are on Summer Game Fest for being both the lengthiest and the widest-ranging presser on the horizon. But the host, Geoff Keighley, recently saw fit to temper expectations ahead of the show, saying that it won’t be flush with the “world premieres” for which his events have become known. Now in its third year, Summer Game Fest is both a singular event (a showcase featuring trailers from a wide range of video game publishers) and a promotional tool (a logo that gets…

Read More
it’s-ok,-spider-man,-things-change E3

It’s OK, Spider-Man, Things Change

June 3, 2022Kotaku

Back in June 2017, a Twitter user asked Insomniac Games a fairly straightforward question: will their new Spider-Man game, launching only on the PS4, ever come to other platforms? While the original tweet has since been deleted by the user, Insomniac’s reply remains:In case you missed it, it was announced earlier today that Spider-Man, once a “permanent PS4 exclusive”, would be coming to the PC in August. And its follow-up, Miles Morales, would be joining it not long after. Womp.I’m not posting this to make fun of Insomniac, or their social team, or their lawyers. I’m sure back in 2017…

Read More
here-are-all-the-pressers-filling-the-vacuum-left-by-e3’s-shambling-zombie-corpse E3

Here Are All The Pressers Filling The Vacuum Left By E3’s Shambling Zombie Corpse

May 19, 2022Kotaku

E3? More like E0! That’s the sort of total groaner you could expect to hear at an E3 press conference—y’know, if the games industry’s historically biggest marketing event was actually happening in 2022. Yes, for the second time in three years, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has called off its flagship event. In 2020, event organizers declined to host an E3, citing the covid-19 pandemic. Last year, it returned, but as a purely digital charade. Rumors around E3 2022’s cancellation swirled as early as January, and the ESA officially called off the event in the spring, saying it would return…

Read More
the-revamped-ps-plus-lineup-is-stacked,-once-you-make-sense-of-it E3

The Revamped PS Plus Lineup Is Stacked, Once You Make Sense Of It

May 16, 2022Kotaku

With the big PS Plus relaunch on the horizon (get your Zero Dawn jokes out of here), we finally have an idea of what exactly to expect. Today, in a blog post, Sony outlined everything—games, streaming offerings, a partnership with Ubisoft—coming to the service. It’s a lot. Let’s break it down. PS Plus 2.0, first officially announced in March, is a total revamp of the long-running PS Plus service, essentially folding all of PlayStation’s disparate subscriptions into one. It’s available in three tiers, which you can read more about right here, but the general breakdown is:Though the option to play…

Read More
ubisoft’s-six-year-development-hell-pirate-game-leaks-in-new-footage E3

Ubisoft’s Six-Year Development Hell Pirate Game Leaks In New Footage

April 29, 2022Kotaku

Narrated test footage for Skull and Bones has leaked online, showing off a big part of the blockbuster’s transformation since it was last officially shown at E3 2018. It’s pretty and also looks like a textbook modern Ubisoft game. Players will collect blueprints, loot materials, and build up their infamy rank to get bigger, better ships. Rise and grind sailors.The new leaked gameplay footage, which runs just over six minutes, details how players will complete contracts for NPCs to rank up and unlock new ship designs and upgrades. They’ll stock their ships with “rations, water, repair kits and ammunition” before…

Read More
borderlands-is-having-its-biggest-year-ever E3

Borderlands Is Having Its Biggest Year Ever

April 26, 2022Kotaku

The revival of a beloved spinoff. A film adaptation (whose cast makes no sense at all). A mainline entry (that, against all odds, feels astonishingly fresh). Yes, it’s safe to say Borderlands is back, and having its biggest year in a long time. Borderlands, arguably the flagship series of developer Gearbox, has had a few fits of popularity over the years. The first entry came out in 2009, and stood out for marrying the first-person shooting and Diablo-style looting with cel-shaded visuals—a creative decision that’s no doubt helped the series stand the test of time—and a performatively profane sense of…

Read More
another-playstation-‘console-exclusive’-comes-to-xbox E3

Another PlayStation ‘Console Exclusive’ Comes To Xbox

April 12, 2022Kotaku

At this point, it’s fair to assume that any proclamations of “console exclusivity” should be taken with an entire deer lick of salt. The PlayStation 5 launch title Bugsnax comes out on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on April 28, as part of the Game Pass library, developer Young Horses announced. It’s also getting a release on Nintendo Switch. Oh, and it’s getting a free expansion. Bugsnax, an adventure game about exploring an island of anthropomorphic snacks, first made waves at E3 2020 due to that contagiously catchy tune from Kero Kero Bonito in its trailer. Folks may have…

Read More
e3-2022-canceled E3

E3 2022 Canceled

March 31, 2022Kotaku

Pour one out for the “world reveals” and “world exclusives.” E3 won’t happen at all this summer, the Entertainment Software Association said in a statement to Kotaku.The news, which was first reported by IGN, confirms what some observers anticipated would happen. For 2022, event organizers with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) didn’t plan on hosting an in-person event, citing health concerns from the then-nascent omicron variant back in January, though the org’s statement at the time never explicitly stated a digital event would happen this year.“We previously announced that E3 would not be held in person in 2022 due to…

Read More
ea-cancels-its-big-summer-event E3

EA Cancels Its Big Summer Event

March 16, 2022Kotaku

First kicking off in 2016, Electronic Arts has traditionally used the week of E3 in early June to hold its own EA Play Live event, during which the publisher would make many of its biggest announcements for the year. That’s coming to an end in 2022. EA has decided to cancel this year’s event, in favour of what sounds like holding smaller showcases focused on each new and upcoming game individually. In a statement sent to IGN, the publisher says: We love EA Play Live as it’s our way of connecting with our players and sharing what’s new with all…

Read More
elden-ring-reviews-call-the-game-a-challenging-open-world-masterpiece E3

Elden Ring Reviews Call The Game A Challenging Open-World Masterpiece

February 23, 2022Kotaku

The review embargo for Elden Ring, From Software’s highly anticipated and tough-as-nails action role-playing game, has finally lifted ahead of its February 25 launch. Critics have started publishing their reviews online, giving you an opportunity to see just where the latest Soulslike stands in relation to other genre favorites like Demon’s Souls and Nioh 2. It seems to be a big success, one that’s both accessible and difficult at the same time.Revealed during E3 2019, Elden Ring features the much-publicized narrative involvement of Game of Thrones novelist George R.R. Martin, though just how much impact Martin actually had on the…

Read More
what-to-expect-from-steam-and-valve-in-2022 E3

What To Expect From Steam And Valve In 2022

January 19, 2022Kotaku

It’s shaping up to be another record-breaking year for Valve-owned digital storefront Steam thanks to massive games like Elden Ring and Starfield, and new hardware like the Steam Deck. Last year was a sleepier one when it came to PC blockbusters due to covid-19-driven game delays, but 2021’s loss is this year’s gain. From ports and early access launches to massive expansions and a new console, here’s what’s coming to Steam in 2022.Read More: Valve Says It Hasn’t Found A Game That The Steam Deck Can’t HandleCapcom’s multiplayer loot RPG was a hit on Nintendo Switch last year and will…

Read More
e3-2022-goes-online-only-amid-pandemic-fueled-by-omicron-variant E3

E3 2022 Goes Online-Only Amid Pandemic Fueled By Omicron Variant

January 6, 2022Kotaku

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, will shift to an online-only showcase for the second consecutive year and a year off, according to GamesBeat.In a statement shared with GamesBeat, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which runs E3, cited concerns regarding the ongoing pandemic, now fueled by the omicron variant that has caused a sharp spike in confirmed infections. At this point, it’s unclear when or if E3 will return as an in-person event.“Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding covid-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,”…

Read More