John Walker - Industry Analcyst

It turns out there are people who would rather give up playing game than lower the difficulty, because of their "dignity".

Which is the saddest thing.

Rewatching The Good Place for the first time, and every single detail is perfect at every point. It's all there, all the clues, right out in the open. So good.

I'm so excited!

How many episodes have you seen?

Titan Quest II Captures The Spirit Of The Original, But Isn't Quite Ready - Kotaku The Greek mythology action-RPG gets an awful lot right, but needs a bunch of optimization

I've written a preview of the first couple of hours with Titan Quest II, a game that might be great if it can stop trying to turn my PC into a thermonuclear bomb. kotaku.com/titan-quest-...

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

Cipher Zero (@cipherzerogame.com) is a stunningly clever puzzle game, where you have to figure out the ever-growing number of rules entirely for yourself. It's also utterly beautiful.

buried-treasure.org/2025/08/ciph...

Support me finding these incredible games: www.patreon.com/c/buriedtrea...

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

A screenshot of Cipher Zero.

Cipher Zero (@cipherzerogame.com) is a stunningly clever puzzle game, where you have to figure out the ever-growing number of rules entirely for yourself. It's also utterly beautiful.

buried-treasure.org/2025/08/ciph...

Support me finding these incredible games: www.patreon.com/c/buriedtrea...

Please sign my petition for all gaming sites to stop reporting every single thing Gabe Newell ever says as a fucking news story.

A Pokemon card without art.

A Pokemon card without art.

Double boom!

Blank Pokémon card.

Blank Pokémon card.

Boom.

Well, I had no way of knowing they had to make room for the announcement of Elliot & The Stupid Hat HD-2D Re-Remastered.

Get ready for all the Industry Analcysts to "predict" a Metroid Prime 4 Direct for August.

I officially decree Retro Studios to be a Nintendo Partner, and thus Metroid Prime 4 can be in this Direct.

I HAVE SPOKEN

A post on X by Kyle Langford, with a composite photo showing him standing outside the gates of Auschwitz, and the caption: "My zero unemployment plan", with an emoji of factory chimneys.

I know there's a risk of amplifying the fascist horror show, but I think we need to be aware of just how far things are going, especially as this man is a Republican candidate for governor of California. All the old safeguards are being deliberately torn down, and the unspeakable normalised.

@danthat.bsky.social @timegentleman.bsky.social You released The Swindle ten years ago today.

You're so old.

Yo, anybody out there wanna be a weekend editor at Kotaku if that role were hypothetically to return?

You've got to be fucking kidding @itch.io. Our whole page is now blocked in the UK because a moderator considered that Midnight Scenes: The Nanny is porn?
It's just a fucking adventure game about a ghost!

My phone lock screen.

South Park Hit Trump Where It Hurts: In His Tiny, Shriveled Ego The show's depiction of Trump as a fat idiot with a small dick seems to have upset the president

I've written about the pathetic fragility of Trump's ego in response to a middling South Park episode, where he's depicted as having a teeny winky.

kotaku.com/south-park-t...

Look, you can say a lot about Hogan's legacy: he was racist, he was terrible to his colleagues, he put himself above other people, he firmly believed in the supremacy of white people, he was a bad wrestler, his life was a net negative for society.

That's it. That's the post.

How to survive as an indie developer for 20 years "Size Five has always just plodded along without a colossal success, which is fine by me. I'm still here."

Woo, PCG published my interview with @danthat.bsky.social! He'll be embarrassed to hear it but this chat is stuffed with wisdom. For two decades Size Five has made games sustainably, frugally, experimentally and funnilyly. A lesson for a criminally wasteful industry. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

Major Gaming Store Delists All NSFW Games Following Pressure From Anti-Porn Campaigners Itch.io has temporarily hidden any game marked as adult to appease payment providers

Here's my initial coverage of the current situation at Itch.io, where pressure from Collective Shout's campaign has led the store to delist ALL NSFW content. Which, of course, has caught up swathes of LGBTQ games.

kotaku.com/itch-io-nsfw...

Thanks so much!

I want to dig into all of this, but didn't have time to explore who they are this morning.

Major Gaming Store Delists All NSFW Games Following Pressure From Anti-Porn Campaigners Itch.io has temporarily hidden any game marked as adult to appease payment providers

Here's my initial coverage of the current situation at Itch.io, where pressure from Collective Shout's campaign has led the store to delist ALL NSFW content. Which, of course, has caught up swathes of LGBTQ games.

kotaku.com/itch-io-nsfw...

Hey - if you and your games have been affected by the censorship at Steam and Itch, please do get in touch. DM me here. Cheers.

The Drifter Is A Dark Pulp Horror Game With Stunning Art This point-and-click adventure offers so much, but doesn't stick its ending

I reviewed The Drifter, a fantastic point-and-click adventure that doesn't quite come together by the end.

kotaku.com/the-drifter-...

There are lots of videos of him and his wife wittering on about their involvement, so it seems quite hands on. He's named as the chief creative officer.

I am concerned that a lot of the games press hasn't noticed that the so-called Commodore revival is the work of sexual harasser Thomas Middleditch.

It's clearly a grift now he can't get work on TV. Please notice, everyone.

Pokémon's Unbelievably Bad Summer Showcase Leaves Fans High And Dry As if cobbled together the night before, today's Pokémon Presents had almost nothing to offer

I have calmly and politely expressed my thoughts on the Pokémon Presents.

kotaku.com/pokemon-pres...