What were you, loyal Kotaku Australia readers, most interested in this year? That’s a question with an answer that seems to surprise me each year. Below, I’ve collated our ten most-viewed yarns from 2023 in no particular order. What can we draw from the list? Kotaku Australia readers love drama, they love curiosities, and they love it when it all goes to shit.
They also want a Steam Deck. Really, really badly.
Here’s the top ten stories you lot couldn’t wait to click on this year.
Nintendo ‘Hacker’ Will Be Punished For The Rest Of His Life
Luke’s story about the coincidentally named Gary Bowser, who was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his part in helping run a business that reportedly earned him over $300,000, drew immense interest from Kotaku AU readers. People know that when Nintendo brings the banhammer down, it rarely does so gently. Bowser found this out the hard way, and you lot were very keen to know his fate.
Steam Game Previously Worth $500,000 Now Free Forever
When microdeveloper Laptop games made its title Megajump free for good, it caused something of a stir. The game had, for most of its life, been listed at $500,000 on Steam as a joke (and a blatant flex for anyone that actually paid for it). With the game now free forever, folks crowded in to see what the go was.
RPG Starts Offering Refunds For People Sick Of Waiting Years For It To Come Out
If there is one thing Aussies apparently love, it’s the nascent possibility of a refund. An absolute ton of you wanted to know what was up with Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 and the refunds it was offering on its collector’s editions, due to troubled (and still ongoing) development.
Woolworths Is Selling Steam Decks Now. Hold On, I Can Explain
When Woolworths started selling Steam Decks via third-party resellers on the Marketplace storefront, it caused a bit of a local stir. Aussies are starved for news on if/when Valve will ever launch its luxury handheld here, and showed up in droves to see what the go was. I said it in this piece, and I’ll say it again now: You should not, under any circumstances, buy a grey import Steam Deck without understanding the risks
Over $US30 Million Worth Of Funkos Are Headed To The Landfill
While it is horrifying to see a company like Funko sending so much non-biodegradable plastic to landfill and wiping its hands of complete environmental vandalism, it is very nice to know that you all dislike Pop Vinyls as much as I do.
What It’s Like To Buy And Use A Steam Deck In Australia
As I said earlier, Aussies are obsessed with anything to do with the Steam Deck. This experiential piece from Kotaku AU reader Edwin Crump was all about what it was like to obtain and then use Valve’s handheld in Australia — the good, the bad, and the frustrating. Cracking stuff from Edwin, really happy we got to run this yarn and that so many of you found it helpful.
Report: City-Builder Taken Off Steam After Fan Goes Rogue
Another Plunkett special, this yarn about Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic going offline after a DCMA takedown from a “once … respected member of our community” who was trying to get everything from trailers to the game’s website taken down. Kotaku AU readers love a bit of messy drama on the timeline.
15 Hours With Hogwarts Legacy: Magical Surface, Rotten Core
Hogwarts Legacy was the year’s most-struck lightning rod. WB Games carefully selected the handful of global outlets that would receive early code based on the likelihood of favourable coverage, and was (mostly) vindicated. When wider critique began to arrive following the game’s launch, Carolyn’s firm-but-fair appraisal (criticisms that were repeated by many other outlets post-launch) attracted a lot of attention.
Tears of the Kingdom Fans Are Building Computers Now, Because Of Course
Yarns about the crazy things players were creating in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom served us very well this year, but none as well as this bit from Isaiah about a player that built a working computer inside the game. What a game.
That ‘AI-Generated’ Anime Is A Slap In The Face To Pro Animators
Corridor Digital’s AI-generated anime video has to take the cake for one of the most divisive yarns of the year. Some people loved what Corridor was trying to do here. Others truly hated the video and everything it stood for. Even Corridor didn’t seem prepared for the blowback it would receive from the video, but that hasn’t stopped it mining for views with other AI videos throughout the year.
Runners up: Every yarn we wrote about Australian times or prices. You may wonder why we write so many pieces about local timings, or local pricing — it’s because Aussies show up when we do. It’s a public service we offer, and one we plan to continue offering. We’re glad you found them all helpful.
There they are, the biggest Kotaku Australia stories of 2023. Was there something you read this year that you thought would be here, or a story that specifically stood out to you? Drop your favourite Kotaku post of the year in the comments below.
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