Asmongold Twitch Ban, Massive Pokémon Leak, And More Of The Week’s Biggest News

Screenshot: Asmongold / YouTube / Kotaku, Asmongold / YouTube / Kotaku, Image: The Pokémon Company, Sony, Sandfall Interactive, Deck Nine Games, Warner Bros., Xbox, Nintendo / Kotaku, Saber Interactive / Focus Entertainment

Well, kids, it’s been a week. From a popular Twitch streamer getting banned for racist remarks to a huge leak of one of Nintendo’s biggest properties, there’s been a lot going on in the gaming world. We also got a warning from an ex-PlayStation boss about the future of the industry and a short but sweet Xbox Showcase. We’ve gathered the biggest news of the week here, so click through to see what was on our radar. 

Screenshot: Asmongold / YouTube / Kotaku

Twitch streamer and famous YouTuber Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt has had his zackrawrr account banned after a racist rant about Muslims and Palestinians killed in Gaza went viral on social media. “My bad,” he shared on X (formerly Twitter) following an online backlash. “Looking back on it, I was way too much of an asshole about the Palestine thing.” His other Twitch channel, Asmongold, remains up. – Ethan Gach Read More

Image: The Pokémon Company

Across the 1025 Pokémon Game Freak has put out into the world, there are a handful that are cursed with some internet-poisoned nonsense that makes them an instant meme. You can’t have a Lopunny or a Gardevoir in your team without drawing suspicious glances. Don’t ask Vaporeon fans how they’re doing these days. Now, an unlikely addition has joined these infamous ranks: Typhlosion. You know, the fire weasel-ish starter from Pokémon Gold and Silver. What could this guy possibly have to be ashamed of? Well, strap in, folks. Because it’s a doozy. – Kenneth Shepard Read More

Image: Sony

There are more games coming out every day than ever before, but the total number of people playing them hasn’t seemed to grow by nearly the same amount. Former SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden says that mismatch can’t be fixed just by churning out endless big-budget sequels and more powerful hardware. – Ethan Gach Read More

Yesterday, Twitch suspended an account that belonged to streamer and famous YouTuber Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt after he made racist comments about the death of Palestinians in Gaza. Now, the YouTuber has responded to the temporary ban with a surprisingly clear-eyed assessment of the controversy and what led up to it. – Ethan Gach Read More

Image: Sandfall Interactive

With its reveal buried in the middle of Microsoft’s mammoth Xbox showcase over the summer, you could be forgiven for not being aware of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a fantasy RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive that looks like a mashup of Dragon Age and Final Fantasy. The turn-based adventure continues to look stunning though, and it just announced an all-star voice cast to boot that includes Andy Serkis. – Ethan Gach Read More

Image: Deck Nine Games

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure’s expensive “early access” period began yesterday, October 15, which allows folks to play the first two episodes of the game before the full launch on October 29. However, a revelation in those early episodes has sent shockwaves through the series’ fandom, especially those who were invested in the original game’s love story between its time-traveling protagonist Max Caufield and her punk best friend Chloe Price. Spoilers ahead. – Kenneth Shepard Read More

Image: Warner Bros.

If you hadn’t heard, there was a massive data leak out of Game Freak, the team that makes the Pokémon RPGs and has its hands in most of the multimedia franchise in one way or another. As files and information gradually surface, most of what we’ve seen so far has been early assets and concept art for old games over the franchise’s many years. But there have been a few details about upcoming games being rounded up by every Pokémon leak and fan account, including next year’s Pokémon Legends: Z-A and beyond. Here’s a rundown of what we know based on the leaks, but it is important to note that all this information should be taken with a grain of salt, as projects may have changed, been canceled, or this information could be otherwise proven false. – Kenneth Shepard Read More

Image: Xbox

Today, Xbox hosted a partner showcase featuring over a dozen new trailers for a variety of third-party, non-Xbox-published video games. The event was only about 25 minutes long, so we admittedly didn’t expect much from the shorter third-party showcase, but we were pleasantly surprised with some new game reveals and cool-looking trailers. – Zack Zwiezen Read More

Image: Nintendo / Kotaku

Back in 2016, Nintendo tweeted out an image of a person in a Mario costume peeking out from behind a curtain. The tweet was meant to tease the upcoming reveal of the Switch. But the odd image was seen as creepy by some and quickly became a meme online. And according to two people who used to work for Nintendo, the company wasn’t happy about the situation. – Zack Zwiezen Read More

Image: Saber Interactive / Focus Entertainment

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is still going strong on Steam and 4.5 million players later the sci-fi shooter is finally getting its first new operation since launch. Patch 4.0 adds a new multiplayer mission on the planet Kadaku called Termination as well as some notable changes to the underlying gameplay. – Ethan Gach Read More