Player.One • 30th August 2017

How Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle Spices Up Tactics With Chaos

We interview Creative Director Davide Soliani about how Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle for the Nintendo Switch takes what we love about tactics games and adds a dash of Rabbid-style chaos to make them even better.

Player.One • 17th August 2017

Letting Voice Actors Explore: Stephanie Sheh On Directing Anime Dubs

At Otakon, voice actor and director Stephanie Sheh explained why some anime dub performances sound stale while others don’t. What causes that famous “anime dub” voice? Find out after the jump.

Player.One • 17th August 2017

Otakon Artist Alley Spotlight: Holly Guenther of Kimchi Kawaii

We spoke to Otakon Artist Alley vendor Holly Guenther of Kimchi Kawaii about her cute cats + food aesthetic and how to succeed at Artist Alley.

Player.One • 16th August 2017

Stephanie Sheh Talks Directing Insecure Actors, A Sense Of Play And More

At Otakon, we spoke with voice actor and director Stephanie Sheh about being on both sides of the glass, how to get the best performance out of a voice actor and how some actors let nerves get the best of them.

Player.One • 14th August 2017

Gundam Wing Producer And Writer Pull Back Curtain On Series Secrets

In an interview with producer Hideyuki Tomioka and scriptwriter Katsuyuki Sumisawa, we talk Newtypes, Tomino Gundams and what makes Gundam Wing both part of and distinct from Gundam series traditions.

Player.One • 13th August 2017

Everything We Learned From Otakon's Gundam Wing Panel

Find out everything we learned about the making of classic anime Gundam Wing in Otakon’s Gundam Wing panel, featuring scriptwriter Katsuyuki Sumisawa and producer Hideyuki Tomioka.

Player.One • 13th August 2017

Otakon: How The ‘Beast Of The East’ Was Born

How did Otakon become the fan-run behemoth and gold standard convention it is today? We spoke to two members of Otakon leadership, Sue Monroe and John Nadzam, to find out how Otakon became one of the biggest anime cons on the East Coast after the jump.

Player.One • 11th January 2017

'Vampyr' Devs On Gothic Vampire Horror And Dr. Reid's Highway To Hell

iDigitalTimes spoke to 'Vampyr' lead writer Stéphane Beauverge and art director Grégori Szucs about the inspiration behind their gothic horror action RPG and the duality of protagonist Dr. Reid, a man of science and a monster from legend. When all you can control is the speed of your descent into hell, what are your options?

Player.One • 20th September 2016

Crunchyroll And Funimation Execs Speak About Anime's Top Powers Combined

The news that Crunchyroll and Funimation are joining forces to share titles across streaming, home video and electronic sell-through is some of the biggest news to hit the anime industry lately and maybe ever. We spoke with Kun Gao, founder and general manager of Crunchyroll, and Mike DuBois, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Funimation, to gain more insight into how this historic partnership will shake up the anime landscape. To DuBois, the partnership was a natural fit f

Player.One • 7th July 2016

'Eldet' Visual Novel Celebrates Beautiful Brown LGBT People For A Change

Marccus Ehren has been an avid gamer all his life, but there’s one thing he came to realize was missing in even his favorite games. It wasn’t an issue of gameplay mechanics, functionality or even plot. It was simply the authentic, fully-realized presence of people like him.

Player.One • 8th September 2017

Arcana Visual Novel: Magic, Mystery And A Sexy Torture Dungeon

Visual novel Arcana is a delightful free-to-play app on both iOS and Android, filled with an appealing blend of murder, magic and mystery. Lively writing and gorgeous character art make Arcana a tiny jewel of its kind, and the story behind the visual novel is just as intriguing as the branching narrative of Arcana itself. Female-founded mobile gaming company Nix Hydra challenged itself with an experiment called Nix Hydra Labs, where team members had only six weeks to complete a project. CEO and

Player.One • 9th September 2017

Arcana Visual Novel’s Protagonist Is You, Whoever You Are

The team behind visual novel Arcana set out to make a romance game unlike any other: diverse, inclusive and respectful of player identity. Find out more about how the team crafted Arcana’s protagonist after the jump.

Player.One • 11th September 2017

Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle: How Devs Designed Cute, Feisty Fighters

How did the Ubisoft team behind Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle make characters like Rabbid Peach so lovable yet battlefield-ready at the same time? Creative Director Davide Soliani talks us through creating the Rabbids and how everyone’s abilities feel authentic.

Player.One • 16th October 2017

Assassin’s Creed Origins Redesigns Three Franchise Pillars: Combat, Story & World

In a new interview, Player.One spoke to Assassin’s Creed Origins Creative Director and Franchise Brand Manager Jean Guesdon about how the new Assassin’s Creed game reinvigorates the three foundational pillars of the franchise: combat, narrative and exploration.

Player.One • 27th October 2017

Assassin’s Creed Origins Creative Director On Building Stories For Everyone

In an interview with Player.One, Assassin’s Creed Origins Creative Director and Franchise Brand Manager Jean Guesdon talked about the challenge of crafting an Assassin’s Creed story that was accessible to first-timers while still satisfying long-time fans.

Player.One • 9th June 2017

American Gods Star Pablo Schreiber Tells Us What Makes Mad Sweeney Tick

American Gods ’ Mad Sweeney, played by Pablo Schreiber, is a man of contradictions: an outsized leprechaun who’d rather brawl than follow any kind of rainbow, a creature of good fortune who’s lost his luck, an indigent rich man, a sharp-tongued brawler instead of a beaming trickster. Find out more in our exclusive interview with Schreiber after the jump.

Player.One • 10th November 2017

A Silent Voice Isn't Supposed To Be About Bullies, But It Is

A Silent Voice is a tough film to watch. Bullying and suicide are heavy themes. Is A Silent Voice really just a coming of age story? We speak to director Naoko Yamada to understand what A Silent Voice wants to say.

Player.One • 14th December 2017

Frank Miller On The Future Of Comics And The Future Of Frank Miller

Frank Miller is a legend: a comic book writer and inker, novelist, film director, screenwriter and producer. His next project, Xerxes, has been pushed as a sequel to 300 in the press, but Miller considers it more of a “surrounding story.”

Player.One • 18th December 2017

Black Mask Studios Billionaire Killers Asks, What If Ivanka Got Woke?

Black Mask Studios, an LA-based indie comic publisher home to titles such as 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, Space Riders and Kim & Kim, has announced its latest: Billionaire Killers, a brutal take on the children of a corrupt generation who refuse to accept their tainted legacy.

Player.One • 19th January 2018

Dappervolk: A New Pet & Avatar Site Challenger Approaches

If you’re not into the pet and avatar browser game scene, you may have missed hearing about a site called Dappervolk. The brainchild of Quisling, a game developer and illustrator in her late 20s, Dappervolk has generated a lot of buzz for its unique illustration style, combination of mechanics from both pet and avatar games and the influence it takes from outside genres such as MMORPGs.

Player.One • 14th February 2018

Civ VI Valentine's Day Leader Guide: We Go In On Bangability

With the advent of the latest Civilization VI expansion Rise and Fall, there are now 36 leaders to choose from in the game. Each leader has their own unique abilities that help you achieve your chosen victory based on that leader’s historical strengths. But we’re not talking about any of that in this special Valentine’s Day guide to the leaders of Civilization VI.

Player.One • 13th February 2018

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Which Beast Tribes Should You Date?

In Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, which beast tribe is the least datable? Which beast tribe will offer the most worthy beau? What beastman can battle with the star power of Breath of the Wild’s Prince Sidon, The Shape of Water’s fish man and Falco from Star Fox ? Let’s find out.

Player.One • 16th January 2018

The Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Concert Cured My Depression

Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds sounds simple enough on paper. It brings together the Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dessoff Choirs under the direction of Grammy Award-winner Arnie Roth to perform some of the Final Fantasy series’ greatest hits. In 30 years of Final Fantasy, there are a number of legendary scores to choose from, and Roth is absolutely spoiled for choice.

Player.One • 11th January 2018

The World Ends With You Remake Is All I Care About

Nintendo’s recent Nintendo Direct Mini disappointed some folks by being short and skimpy on details. But alongside news about Dark Souls, free Super Mario Odyssey DLC and a new Mario Tennis game on the Switch, the Nintendo Direct Mini confirmed that a remake of legendary Nintendo DS J-RPG The World Ends With You is en route, and that’s literally all I care about.

Player.One • 10th January 2018

On The Hunt For The Cutest Porg Plush Toys

Ever since I noted how awkward some of the porg merchandise for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is, I’ve been obsessed with finding a genuinely adorable porg toy of my own, preferably hug-sized and plush for maximum comfort object appeal. These are the results of my search. And they are… unfortunate.

Player.One • 20th December 2017

Benicio Del Toro And My Problematic Star Wars: The Last Jedi Fave

In Star Wars: The Last Jedi , Benicio del Toro swaggers onto the screen to play a character who instantly became my favorite: a weatherbeaten, stammering, roguish hacker whose mercenary countenance, begrimed clothes, cutthroat competence and untrustworthy aura seemed to spark a thousand possible stories.

Player.One • 14th December 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Porgs Vs. Monster Hunter: World Palicos: No Contest

In a new trailer, Monster Hunter World shows off its adorable and endearing Palicos. Star Wars: The Last Jedi may premiere tonight, but who wins in the cute-and-begins-with-a-P contest: the Palicos or the Porgs? The answer may surprise you.

Player.One • 14th December 2017

Why Do The Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Villagers Have Nightmares?

Have you noticed that the critters of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp have nightmares? What the heck could they have to be worried about? We investigate.

Player.One • 7th December 2017

How Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Is Saving What’s Left Of My 2017

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is a game about making animal pals, crafting stuff, catching bugs and wearing cute clothes. It is also one of the biggest redeeming factors of my 2017.

Player.One • 6th November 2017

I Want This Final Fantasy ® Leather Plush Moogle

This Final Fantasy ® leather plush moogle toy might be the straw that breaks my dromedarian back. I want it. I want it!!

Player.One • 5th September 2017

The Curious Case Of The Guy Who Couldn't Play Cuphead

Many gamers cringed at Dean Takahashi’s gameplay video of Cuphead at Gamescom, but did Takahashi deserve the storm of ire that came his way afterwards? How good should a gaming journalist be at games?

Player.One • 22nd August 2017

Warner Bros Is Giving Us The Joker Origin Movie No One Wanted

A new Joker origin movie is reportedly on the way. Who asked for this? Who wants this? Was it you?

Player.One • 4th July 2017

Why Final Fantasy XIV Is The MMO That Sticks For Me

While everyone else is reviewing Stormblood and gearing up for Final Fantasy XIV's new raid dungeon Omega: Deltascape, I'm over here grinding the A Realm Reborn main storyline quests and loving every minute of it. Finally, I've got an MMORPG that sticks. Read more after the jump.

Player.One • 14th June 2017

The Last Night Is Not A Cyberpunk Game

Tim Soret's Gamergate politics have led to a swarm of controversy around his E3 2017 game The Last Night, a game dressed in cyberpunk clothes that completely lacks a cyberpunk heart. Read more on why Soret's politics make The Last Night a hollow exercise in fake cyberpunk after the jump.

Player.One • 25th May 2017

'The Get Down' Is Cancelled And THAT Is The Wackness

Netflix's gem 'The Get Down' has been cancelled; we won't be seeing a Season 2 with Zeke and the crew, and that's terrible. Here's why.

Player.One • 2nd May 2017

'Overwatch' Needs More Stories Because We Love Them

Blizzard tells ‘Overwatch’s story in many different ways, including comics and short films, but none of them are consistent. Will Blizzard ever commit to delivering the ‘Overwatch’ narrative on a regular basis? Is this something we should even hope for?

Player.One • 1st May 2017

Amazon's Anime Strike: The Price Is Too Damn High

While Hulu and Netflix have flirted with the anime game Funimation and Crunchyroll have mastered, Anime Strike has thrown itself into the pool with little regard for the tidal wave its bellyflop has unleashed. Find out more about Amazon's Anime Strike and what it means for anime fans and consumers after the jump.

Player.One • 2nd January 2017

'Final Fantasy 15' DLC Wish List: Top 6 Summons I Want To See In FFXV's Hyper Real Style

Final Fantasy 15's summons feel more godlike than ever, and there's plenty more where they came from. Here’s my vote on the top 6 summons I’d love to see in Final Fantasy XV’s supermassive style in upcoming DLC.

Player.One • 27th December 2016

iDigitalTimes Year In Gaming: ND's Top 7 Picks For 2016

Looking for an end of the year gaming wrap-up? Here's one with love from iDigitalTimes. Check out my personal list of the top 7 game titles in 2016 after the jump.

Player.One • 24th December 2016

Gaming In 2017: ND's Top 8 Most Anticipated Games Coming Out Next Year

Looking forward to some new game releases in 2017? Me too! Here's my list of the eight games coming out in 2017 that I'm anticipating the most - with some honorable mentions just for kicks.