Moonlighter dev delays Steam playtest for its "Tower Defensevania" ReVamp over concerns that AI copycats might clone it before launch

Digital Sun "concerned" by recent news about genAI rip-offs Moonlighter and Cataclismo developers Digital Sun Games have postponed a public Steam playtest for their new game ReVamp, for fear of people using generative AI to clone their work before release.

I love an everything seasoning video game. You know, the kind of game where it's five different genres at once, somehow, all of which builds into one cohesive vision? It's not an easy thing to pull off, but Daniel Mullins seems to be quite good at it, as evidenced by Inscryption, and as suggested by the upcoming Pony Island 2: Panda Circus. Which, by the way, now has a playtest you can sign up for. A new trailer for Pony Island 2: Panda Circus dropped during the latest Triple-i Initiative, showing off more of the game and its genre-bending ways in action. You can check that out below for a taste. The trailer's main purpose was to inform you of that aforementioned playtest; signing up is easy, all you have to do is head to the puzzle horror's Steam page and mark yourself as interested in the playtest. Not sure if there's guaranteed entry for everyone that signs up, but hey ho, clicking a couple of buttons won't harm you (I cannot be held responsible if clicking a couple of buttons does harm you).

So, You Can See Everything, huh? A few of us here at Kotaku saw Nathan Fielder’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a health tech company that was shut down after Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in 2018. The basis of the accusations was that the company’s signature device, which Theranos claimed could accurately conduct a vast assortment of blood tests on a single drop of blood, didn’t work as investors were led to believe. The film documents her final weeks with her partner and children before having to surrender herself into federal custody in Bryan, Texas. Kenneth Shepard: And that’s only half of the Everything we See in this movie. So Ash, before we get into all there is to unpack, tell me, what was your knowledge of both Holmes and of Fielder’s work leading up to seeing this movie? Ash Parrish: So most of my initial exposure to Nathan Fielder had been against my will. My first run-in with his work was the first season of his HBO show The Rehearsal where I felt for him both kinship and revulsion.

Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories. Pokémon fans can show Jessie, James, and Meowth how it's done

Last month, IGN underwent its latest wave of brutal cuts. Longtime hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy were among those laid off. They’re now launching their own independent network of gaming podcasts called X Button alongside Max Scoville, who also departed the organization amid its latest strategy shift. The news comes as IGN itself is backing away from its well-known gaming podcasts, Kotaku understands. “A couple weeks ago, you know, there was a slight shift in, uh, programming at our former employer, and we are now out into the great unknown and doing a brand new thing,” Altano said in the inaugural episode of one of the group’s new shows. “And hopefully by this time, by the time you’re hearing this, we’re all crying tears of joy because it worked out.” Housed on Patreon, the group has two podcasts so far. The first is called X Button, a general gaming show, and the second is called Ninfriendo 64, a show dedicated to Nintendo. “We’ll cover video game news, new game releases, and the classic games we still love today, all with the insight, passion, and humor you expect from us by now,” reads X Button’s About page.

Michael McWhertor is a New York-based journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering games, industry events, technology, movies, and TV. Disney is reportedly trying to make a new Star Wars Battlefront game happen