*That* Borderlands Movie Trailer, A Nintendo Direct, And More Of What Went Down This Week

Image: Gearbox / 2K, Aspyr / Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Bethesda / Kotaku, Photo: Michael Tran / AFP (Getty Images), Screenshot: Disney / Kotaku, Microsoft, FromSoftware / Bandai Namco / Kotaku, Frost Giant / YouTube / Kotaku, Illustration: Atlus

As yet another week passes, we get more proof that 2024 is shaping up to be a very busy year in gaming—if not for game releases, then certainly for big stories around game exclusivity, adaptions, and, as always, streamers. This week we got our first look at the highly anticipated Borderlands movie (lol), learned about Walmart stockrooms thanks to streamer MrBeast, saw a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, and much more.

We’ve gathered the biggest news stories of the week, from February 19 to the 23, right here for your perusing pleasure. Enjoy.

Image: Gearbox / 2K

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard or seen anything about that Borderlands movie starring Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Hart. So it was great to finally get our first real look at the cast in some new screenshots and oh… oh no. – Zack Zwiezen Read More

Photo: Michael Tran / AFP (Getty Images)

James Donaldson, aka MrBeast aka that YouTuber who does weird charity videos aka that guy who sold me a terrible burger, is apparently visiting Walmarts and forcing employees to let him explore their storage areas and then making them restock his candy bars. – Zack Zwiezen Read More

Screenshot: Disney / Kotaku

Nintendo held its first Direct showcase of the year, and it was dedicated to third-party games coming to the Switch in 2024. This 23-minute showcase saw Xbox Studios finally announce which of their games are coming to the competing platform after weeks of rumors and speculation. But we also got some other, non-Xbox-related game announcements during today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, from Unicorn Overlord to Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. – Kenneth Shepard Read More

Image: Aspyr / Lucasfilm

Two incredibly popular Star Wars games— 2004’s Battlefront and 2005’s Battlefront II—are coming back in a new classic collection that will bring 64-player online action to consoles for the first time as well as other new features and bonus content, too. And you won’t have to wait long as these classic Star Wars shooters are launching on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC in March. – Zack Zwiezen Read More

Image: Marvel Studios

Superhero movies are in a weird place right now, especially at Marvel’s house of ideas. Even as recent films struggle to land with audiences like the surefire hits of old, the studio is ready to look ahead with the heightened interest in what’s on the horizon. But part of that horizon includes navigating the murky waters around the next Avengers movie. – James Whitbrook Read More

Image: Bethesda / Kotaku

Things are going to get pretty Fallout-y this April. With Amazon Prime’s promising-looking TV adaptation due to hit the streamer April 12, Bethesda is leaping on its own bandwagon and releasing seven Fallout games, in one handy nuclear bomb. – John Walker Read More

Illustration: Atlus

Unicorn Overlord, the upcoming tactics RPG from developer Vanillaware, has a demo available right now on Nintendo Switch. The announcement came during today’s short Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase. Like other Nintendo Switch demos, players will be able to get a jump start on the game’s opening hours ahead of its March 8 release in a couple of weeks. Save data will also transfer over from the demo to the full game. – Willa Rowe Read More

Screenshot: Microsoft

Nintendo has just sprung a Nintendo Direct on everybody, but this one was a little different from the usual first-party fare. The latest Direct aired on February 21 at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET. Unlike most Nintendo reveal events, this Partner Direct is a pre-recorded video focused on third-party titles, rather than a live stream. Highlights included news that Xbox titles Grounded and Pentiment are headed to Switch, and that a demo for Atlus’ and Vanillaware’s tactical RPG Unicorn Overlord is available today. – Willa Rowe Read More

Screenshot: FromSoftware / Bandai Namco / Kotaku

After years of rumors and questions over what it would contain, we finally got to see what the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will entail. The three-minute-long trailer showed off a mix of gameplay and cutscene content, but of course, most of it spawned even more questions. Elden Ring’s lore is notoriously dense, and the vague dialogue in the gameplay trailer doesn’t help make anything more clear. – Alyssa Mercante Read More

Screenshot: Frost Giant / YouTube / Kotaku

As 2024’s big bad—Late Stage Capitalism—continues its grim rampage, some developers are looking to more innovative approaches to avoid the publishing industry’s self-sabotaging need for impossibly endless growth. Stormgate creator Frost Giant—a studio created by former StarCraft 2 devs—is following up on its recent Kickstarter success by now inviting players to invest in the company directly. Update: Frost Giant has explained their reasons for this campaign, which you can read below. – John Walker Read More