Annapurna Interactive announces Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, an adventure game set between the two Blade Runner movies, which take place in 2019 and 2049. This has a Steam Listing saying the release date is to be announced. Things are scant for now, but we do have a moody Reveal Trailer. Here's what's being revealed for now:

From Annapurna Interactive, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth brings the revered franchise back to games for the first time in 25 years.

Set between the original film and 2049, Blade Runner 2033 takes place after the events of the Black Out and asks: what does a Blade Runner do when there are no Replicants left to hunt?

More details about the game will be revealed in the coming months, so keep an eye on this Steam page for updates.

Continue here to read the full story.

Blizzard announces more details about BlizzCon 2023, the first face-to-face entry in the series in a while. The festivities will be November 3-4 in the Anaheim Convention Center. Word is two waves of tickets will go on sale next month, but that all online content will be entirely free:

After four years away, BlizzCon® 2023–Blizzard Entertainment’s two-day global gaming convention–returns to Anaheim, California on November 3-4, with the first wave of tickets available for purchase July 8. This year, BlizzCon will be a one-of-a-kind immersive experience, bringing attendees into the universes of Warcraft®, Diablo®, and Overwatch® with massive installations, art, and spaces where friends can connect and learn what’s next for our games. For those who wish to watch BlizzCon 2023 online, all on-stage content will also be available via live streaming at no cost.

“Our players are at the heart of what makes BlizzCon great, and whether our players are attending in person or joining us virtually, we’re looking forward to showing them what’s next for Blizzard.”

The first wave of tickets for BlizzCon will be available Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m. PDT via AXS at AXS.com, with the second wave of tickets available Saturday, July 22, at 10 a.m. PDT.

Saber Interactive announces Wild Card Football, an arcade/action game based on American tackle football coming to PC and consoles on October 10th. This collaboration with the NFL Players Association and OneTeam Partners will feature a roster of NFL players and a 7-on-7 variation on the sport. Colin Kaepernick is mentioned as the game's cover athlete. This is interesting since he's a lightning rod for opposing beliefs on social issues, and is the only one of the handful of players mentioned in the announcement who isn't currently in the NFL. Here's more:

True to Playgrounds series tradition, Wild Card Football mixes extreme, 7-on-7 pigskin action with bombastic moves, style and energy. Mix-and-match players from your favorite teams to create the ultimate dream squad, customizing everything from logos, uniforms, playbooks and more. The unique Wild Card system lets fans change the course of the action in an instant with special power-ups and rule-breaking abilities across a variety of game modes, including Season play, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer with full crossplay.

KEY FEATURES

• Create Your Dream Team: Choose from hundreds of genuine pro players, reimagined Playgrounds-style, and assemble the ultimate 7-on-7 gridiron squad. Advance through different challenges and events to unlock new players and other exciting rewards.
• Play Your Wild Cards: Unleash over 150 Wild Cards to turn the tide of the game in your favor in an instant. Bust out special moves like summoning walls or invisibility, boost your team’s stats at a crucial moment, or play a Rule-Breaker and flip the rules of the game completely.
• Become a Champion: Prove your skills in single-player Season mode, climb to the top of the leaderboards in competitive online multiplayer with full crossplay, or challenge your friends at home for bragging rights in local multiplayer.
• Customize Your Squad: Personalize your team’s logo, uniforms and colors, choose your home stadium, then build unique playbooks and Wild Card decks to perfect your strategies on the field.

Shogun Showdown is now an Early Access release on GOG.com* and Steam, offering a turn-based roguelite for Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is also a playable demo on Steam, but this is only for Windows. The Early Access Release Trailer shows off the game's pixel and a lot of gameplay. This post has a rundown on the launch:

Early Access will include the following exciting new content:

• 3 playable characters
• 28 attack tiles
• 17 skills
• 24 quests
• 5 stamps per character with 2 ranks each
• 4 ascension levels
• 11 enemy-types, 9 bosses
• 9 combat locations
• 4 shop types, 12 tile upgrades, 6 consumables

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

A playable demo for An Ankou is now available for Windows on Steam, offering the chance to work as a servant of death in this upcoming action/roguelite. It's due for Early Access release next month, so this gives a first look at this unusual premise. Or rather, the first look aside from this Reveal Trailer. Here's more on the game and its setting:

Set in an alternative 19th century Brittany, An Ankou sees players assume the role of “The Ankou”, a servant of death and the last dead of the year. Reborn as one of the first three playable classes (Soldier, Apothecary or Nun), players will re-enter the world to reincarnate spirits and guide them to their final rest.

As they do, they will face hordes of demons flooding the lands of the living and embark on a perilous journey. Players will be able to explore haunted lands, gather resources, craft equipment, level up and fight back against powerful enemy forces. If the Ankou fails in their task, they’ll be reborn to try again.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new RICOCHET Anti-Cheat Progress Report – Season 04 Update has the latest on efforts at thwarting cheating in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone. The post goes into more detail on the use of Mitigations, one of those amusing anti-cheat measures that creates confusion for cheaters while not interfering with legitimate players. Here's a bit on how the system can thwart cheaters with Hallucinations:

Active Mitigation: Hallucinations
Hallucinations place decoy characters within the game that can only be detected by cheaters that have been specifically flagged by our system. These false characters are undetectable by legitimate players, and they cannot impact a legitimate player’s aim, progression, end of match stats or overall gameplay experience, but serve to disorient cheaters in a variety of ways. Hallucinations can be deployed both as a method of mitigation for verified cheaters or, in secret, as a detection for suspicious players:

As a Mitigation
Hallucinations look, move, and interact with the world like a real player. These are not AI but a clone of an active user in the match, mimicking their movement to trick a cheater into believing the character they see is a real-life player. In the image above there is one real player and a Hallucination, and in-game it’s impossible for cheaters to know at first glance which is real.

Continue here to read the full story.

As the old saying goes, there's no honor among thieves. A Sea of Thieves Fair Play Update Spring 2023 fills us in on what Rare is doing about the scurvy dogs who break the rules in Sea of Thieves. The adventure is about looting and pillaging, but this is still supposed to be fair seafaring. Word is recent efforts have thrown more than 15,000 miscreants into the brig in the past year:

To paraphrase the Sea of Thieves Code of Conduct, Rare has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of in-game hacking or cheating, and any transgression can result in permanent enforcement action. Your reports alone have resulted in the termination of over 7,000 accounts in the last 12 months, with nearly 5,000 bans in the last six months of players confirmed to be cheating in-game.

Further to this, our security team have issued permanent bans to an additional 8,000 accounts in the last 12 months as a result of internal cheat detection and anti-tampering measures.

Space Nation Inc. announces Space Nation, a transmedia property that will eventually comprise a core MMORPG, and accompanying shorts, spinoff games, and a television show. This includes the participation of game developers (Jerome Wu, Tony Tang) and Hollywood talent (Roland Emmerich, Marco Weber) appropriate to those ambitions. The Space Nation Online Website is live, and alpha testing will begin next month with the goal of a commercial launch in Q2 2024. The project has already attracted over $50 million in funding, but it's eyeing our wallets too, as it's one of those Web3 dealies:

At the heart of the Space Nation vision stands Space Nation Online, an immersive MMORPG that breaks new ground in gaming. It offers a unique gaming experience that prioritizes gameplay, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge Web3 technology to enhance the overall immersion. Space Nation aims to set a new standard for inclusive and engaging interactive entertainment, captivating gamers, Web3 early adopters, and sci-fi enthusiasts alike. This extraordinary game combines compelling storytelling, immersive gameplay elements, and state-of-the-art Web3 technology to deliver an unmatched experience. Within the vast and dynamic universe of Space Nation, players will embark on a journey of rich storytelling, engage in epic battles from day one, and shape a player-driven economy.

• -66% Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space on GOG.com.
• Save 66% on Protagon VR on Steam.
• Save 66% on Sea of Stars - Soundtrack on Steam.
• Save 66% on Infinite Space III- Sea of Stars on Steam.
• Save 66% on Weird Worlds- Return to Infinite Space on Steam.
• The last weekend of Summer Sale – check out the new deals, like up to -80% on a whole Atari catalog! - GOG.com.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Niantic shutters LA office, lays off 230 employees.

Official patches.

• Bare Butt Boxing - Local Multiplayer, New Map and More.
• Boundary - Update June 29, New Gun, Map, and Gamemode.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator June 29th, 2023 Development Update.
• Wolcen- Lords of Mayhem -- Patch 1.1.7.13.

• The Crew Motorfest: Festival Program Trailer.
• For Honor- Content of the Week - 29 June.
• Runescape Necromancy Cinematic Release Date Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Is there anything the muggers won't mug? #shorts - Viva La Dirt League. Thanks Ant.
• I Made a 32-bit Computer Inside Terraria. Thanks Boing Boing.

• Solarpunk - first person survival craft game for PC-Console by Cyberwave — Kickstarter. "Alone or with your friends, grow food, craft, build & explore distant islands with your own airship."

Thanks Console General.

• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta (2306.230627-1915).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Delta (2306.230628-1600).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Omega (2306.230628-1600).

• Modders Equip Asus's ROG Ally with 4 TB M.2 2280 SSD.
• The First iPhone Launched 16 Years Ago Today And Dramatically Changed The Industry That We Know And Love.

• Reddit will remove mods of private communities unless they reopen.
• Google says it will start blocking Canadian news stories in response to new law.
• YouTube tests disabling videos for people using ad blockers.
• Windows 11’s AI-powered Copilot (and its Bing-powered ads) enters public preview.

Thanks Console General.

• Micron Expects to Debut GDDR7 Memory in 2024.
• Iran Admits Its Quantum Computer Had Zero Quantum in It. That's a quantum difference.
• 'Chinese spy balloon' was 'crammed' with US hardware.
• Human oversight key to keeping AI honest.
• How NASA Writes Space-Proof Code. Thanks A.C.M.
• Speed matters: How Ethernet went from 3Mbps to 100Gbps… and beyond.
• StreamFab v6.1.2.9.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1972 and 22631.1972.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23493.

• It's 2023 and out-of-bounds write bugs are still number one.

• FTC prepares “the big one,” a major lawsuit targeting Amazon’s core business.
• OpenAI and Microsoft Sued for $3 Billion Over Alleged ChatGPT 'Privacy Violations.'
• Russian Cybersecurity Executive Arrested for Alleged Role in 2012 Megahacks.
• YouTube scammer who stole millions in song royalties sentenced to 5 years.

Last Link of the Day: Dune: Part Two - Official Trailer 2.

Hide your wallet! Valve announces the 2023 Summer Sale is now underway on Steam, offering thousands of discounts between now and July 13th. There is also a free sticker to claim each day, a new seasonal badge, and the chance to earn Steam Summer Sale trading cards. The Steam Deck is part of the party, and it's on sale too. Here's the Official Trailer and the details follow:

We're also excited to bring Steam Deck into the celebration as well! From now until the end of the Steam Summer Sale (July 13th at 10am PT) you can purchase a Steam Deck for up to 20% off. We've even put together a list of the top 100 most-played games on Steam Deck this year so far, many of which are participating in the Summer Sale.

Get into the summer gaming spirit (even if you're currently in the middle of winter where you are!) with deals and all sorts of fun stuff, from stickers to trading cards, badges, and more:

• Each day of the sale brings you another free sticker to claim.
• Look for the new Summer seasonal badge in the Points Shop
• Two brand new Artist profiles
• Plus opportunities to earn Summer Sale trading cards to level up your Summer Sale badge!

Continue here to read the full story.

The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos is now available for free on the Epic Games Store, offering this week's promised giveaway. This tactical/RPG from Artefacts Studios and Dear Villagers is yours to keep as long as you snag correct by next Thursday. At that time everyone will get the chance to get their hands dirty with a free copy of GRIME. Here's the not-sales pitch for today's freebie:

Are you ready to dive into a tactical RPG chock-full of charm, humor and crazy characters?!
They are clumsy, inexperienced and feisty but...they’ll have to endure each other’s company to get the dungeon’s treasure.
However, a feeling of déjà-vu quickly arises...
Guide this team of unlikely heroes in an adventure full of humor and chaos!
The Naheulbeuk universe is an original creation by French author John Lang. It started as a very popular audio comedy series parodying role-playing games and heroic fantasy tropes. Now the story is available in English and as a video game for the first time!

Larian Studios announces a new release date for Baldur's Gate 3, saying the RPG sequel will launch for Windows on August 3rd, and on September 6th for PlayStation 5. Release date changes are almost always delays, but not in this case. The game's previous PC release date was August 31st, so it is arriving four weeks early (the PS5 date, on the other hand, is a delay of about a week). A new Community Update on Steam discusses the news, outlining the latest progress on development. Here's a bit on just how much content to expect from the game, and word on efforts to bring it to Xbox:

More on those new heights: Baldur’s Gate 3 has more cinematic dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings novels combined. It has 174 hours of cinematics, making it more than twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined.

All that content serves to give you a tremendous amount of choice and consequence, ensuring everyone’s adventure will be unique. And what’s more, you’ll be able to enjoy that content not only in single player, but also in online multiplayer or local co-op with split screen. At the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase, you’ll really get a first glimpse of how it all comes together.

Continue here to read the full story.

DAVE THE DIVER has surfaced from Early Access, and has officially launched for Windows and macOS on Steam. This post covers the launch, offering the Official Launch Trailer with a look at gameplay. Here's a deeper dive into what's changed over the eight months this was in Early Access:

In this shiny 1.0 release, get ready to explore new areas, dive into the complete story, and encounter a whole bunch of new species and mini-games. We've carried over all the data from Early Access, so no worries there, and you'll have no limits on items and gold anymore.

But let's get one thing straight: v1.0 isn't the end, it's just the beginning! If you come across any issues or have suggestions for improvements, don't hesitate to share them with us on the Steam community or our official Discord. We're here to listen and make things right. And hey, we'll keep working hard to bring you even more enjoyable content!

Continue here to read the full story.

AEW: Fight Forever is now available for Windows on Steam, presumably by diving into the ring off a turnbuckle. This action/arcade game takes players into the no-holds-barred world of professional wrestling. This post covers the news, illustrated by this Release Trailer with a look at what to expect. Speaking of what to expect, the launch comes as a Standard or Elite Edition, and there's a season pass for sale alongside the first two pieces of premium DLC. Here's how this plans to get a hold of you:

Available now, AEW: Fight Forever’s nostalgic arcade feel and hand-drawn animations has created a frenzy among wrestling and fighting game purists alike. AEW: Fight Forever presents fans with their first chance to pull off wrestling moves only seen on the wildly popular AEW programming. Online co-op wrestling has gone completely next level with Tag-Team matches that feature sequences of team maneuvers performed with simple commands. Game modes include Ladder Match, Exploding Barbed Wire, Casino Battle Royale, and the highly anticipated STADIUM STAMPEDE along with a stacked roster of popular AEW wrestlers. Fans can also enjoy career mode, wrestler customization, signature AEW arenas, and good ol’ fashioned unsanctioned fun!

Continue here to read the full story.

Microids, also written as Microïds, announces the launch of Noob - The Factionless for PC and consoles, offering a turn-based RPG, also written as NOOB - The Factionless. The Windows edition is available on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com,* and Steam. Here's the Launch Trailer with a look, and here's more, since we're all noobs to this game:

Noob – The Factionless follows the adventures of four players from the Rush guild: Baster the Neogician, Drek the Berserker, May the Cartomancer, and Logs the Elementalist. Their quest is to reach the supreme level and become the elite of the Horizon MMORPG - the Legendary Class. Together, they will have to face hundreds of monsters and wander around fantastic worlds to give their guild the place it deserves in the world of Horizon, among the mythic Noob, Justice, Roxxor and Pro Game Master guilds. But the challenge they will face will not be limited to Horizon: their avatars will accomplish «real» quests in real life. History can be made both into the game and IRL!

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

Dynasty Battle of Zhongyuan is now available on Steam and consoles, offering the first DLC for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms action/RPG from KOEI TECMO. There is a Season Pass which includes the DLC. This post announces a free update is also available for the base game with bug fixes and a crossover collaboration with NARAKA: BLADEPOINT. To cap off the news, the game is on sale for 25% off on all platforms. Here's a DLC trailer and more on the new content:

The new story chapter, entitled “Battle of Zhongyuan”, follows Cao Cao's army after the collapse of the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition, and includes new stages “Mt. Nishan” and “Yuan City”. The DLC pack also features new generals like Dian Wei, new demons including “Bingcan” and “Huodou”, the new Divine Beast "Feilian", the new weapon type “cestus”, as well as an increased difficulty level to help make battles even more challenging!

Continue here to read the full story.

Today is the official launch of NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 4060 graphics cards, and there's a new GeForce Game Ready Driver version 536.40 to support them. An accompanying article has more on the new DLSS 2 support available in some games as of today. We had a review roundup for the new cards yesterday, but so many more reviews have rolled out since then, here's a second batch:

• ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 OC review - Guru3D.
• ASUS GeForce RTX 4060 Strix OC Review - Overkill - TechPowerUp.
• Gainward GeForce RTX 4060 GHOST review - Guru3D.
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming OC Review - TechPowerUp.
• MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming X - Guru3D.
• MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming X Review - TechPowerUp.
• MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming X 8G - TweakTown.
• PNY GeForce RTX 4060 XLR8 Review - TechPowerUp.
• ZOTAC GAMING RTX 4060 Twin Edge OC White Edition - LanOC Reviews.
• ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4060 Twin Edge OC White Edition Graphics Card Review - ThinkComputers.org.

The Chrono Jotter is now available in English on Steam, offering visual novel for Windows from Orca Layout and 2P Games. This is not light fare, as the story centers on a killing spree at a high school. There is a playable demo to see if this is for you. Here's the EN Release Trailer with a look, and here's more:

In The Chrono Jotter, Ran will find herself trapped in a chilling game of death and life as she fights to bring Ann back. The students in the school used to be slaughtered and, still, no one knows the identity of the murderer! To get out alive, Ran will be forced to solve this mystery. Fortunately, this place seems to have awakened a very convenient power within Ibuki: now, she’s able to go back in time every time someone dies.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Microsoft CEO Says He Would "Love" To Get Rid Of Xbox Exclusives But Can't Because Of Sony.
• If you had a child after Skyrim released, that child would grow up and graduate highschool before Elder Scrolls 6 releases.

• After 4 years Hunt- Showdown smashes its record player count with new update (and its rising).
• Player Two PR sets up indie publishing label Mooncat Games.

Official patches.

• Dwerve - v1.1.13 Patch Notes.
• Dying Light 2 - Techland kicks off Summer of Horrors with a major update.
• Ravenbound - Patch 1.1 is now live. Includes free Trailblazer's Arms DLC.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: June 28, 2023.

Official trailers.

• Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly - Accolade Trailer.
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons - Gameplay Overview Trailer.
• Pioneers of Pagonia- In-Game Reveal Trailer.

• Game & VR Writing and Planning Tools - Backlight Gem.

• GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit details mental health, leadership and education sessions.

• New Games with Gold for July 2023.
• PlayStation Plus Premium Tiers Are Losing Ten Games This July.
• Nintendo Download: The Ol’ 1-2 Switcheroo.

• iOS 17 is finally tapping into the iPhone 6's full potential. Thanks Ant.
• Asus Zenfone 10 adds wireless charging, Gimbal stabilizer 2.0 to small form factor.

• FCC Launches New Broadband Privacy ‘Task Force’ So It Can Pretend It Hasn’t Become Useless On Consumer Protection. Thanks DSLReports.
• Minecraft's devs exit its 7 million-strong subreddit after Reddit's ham-fisted crackdown on protest.
• Apple has posted the entire first episode of ‘Silo’ on Twitter. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Brave aims to curb practice of websites that port scan visitors.

• Plex lays off more than 20 percent of its staff.
• G.Skill's 24GB DDR5-6000 Modules with AMD EXPO Profiles Released.
• PowerShell version 7.3.5.
• I'm Batman Build.

Thanks DSLReports and Ant.

• Proton launches its password manager Proton Pass.
• US Patent and Trademark Office notifies filers of years-long data leak.
• Adversarial audio generated by AI can trick authentication.

• Pornhub Accused of Illegal Data Collection (may require registration or subscription).

• AEW Fight Forever Review - Room to Become Elite - MP1ST.
• Diablo IV Review- A Homecoming - DSOGaming.

• Smartphone: Google Pixel Fold Review- A Great Foldable Phone With a Big Problem - Wirecutter. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CDPR Can’t Rewrite History About The ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Launch…

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires is hitting the northeast again, and MrsBlue and I are both suffering with it a bit. We both got headaches and sore throats yesterday, and it's not even supposed to be that bad right now, according to this Fire and Smoke Map. It shows how rough conditions are to the west of us, so my sympathies to those who are in the heart of the smoke. But that also means it will get worse here soon, as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So it's going to get worse here before it gets better. We're not regretting our purchase of an air purifier. That thing has been getting a workout.

Worked-out Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• South Koreans become younger under new age-counting law. Thanks brother19.
• Madonna Hospitalized for Bacterial Infection, Tour Postponed. Clostridium botulinum I'm guessing?
• National Geographic lays off its last remaining staff writers. Thanks RedEye9.

Science
Thanks Max.

• Scientists pick up shock waves from colliding galaxies. Thanks brother19.
• Start-ups are adding antacids to the ocean to slow global warming. Will it work?
• The Connection Between Autism And The Gut Microbiome Is Clearer Than Ever.
• You're Stress Eating Because Your Brain Literally Thinks It Isn't Full Yet.

Media

• WTF Happened to Napoleon Dynamite?

Creature Features

• Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg - Ozzy Man Quickies (NSFW).

Follow-ups

• Niemann $100 Million Chess Cheating Lawsuit Against Carlsen Dismissed. Thanks Matthew.
• Titan submersible- 'Presumed human remains' found in debris field, US Coast Guard says.
• Inside TCM Drama: Zaslav Reverses Course After Zoom With Spielberg.

Prime Gaming now offers Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition for free in a new giveaway for Amazon Prime subscribers. This indicates the new schedule is to release a new free game each week, rather than a larger batch once-a-month. You still have a month to claim it though, and as long as you act in time, it's yours to keep. This is fulfilled directly through the Amazon Games App. The listing includes an extra-brief synopsis of the RPG sequel remake:

Kidnapped. Imprisoned. Tortured. The wizard Irenicus holds you captive in his stronghold, attempting to strip you of the powers that are your birthright.

Can you resist the evil in your blood and forsake the dark destiny that awaits you? Or will you embrace your monstrous nature and ascend to godhood as the new Lord of Murder?

Blizzard announces TITANS, the next expansion for Hearthstone, the Warcraft-inspired card game. Word is: "TITANS will launch worldwide on August 1, with 145 new cards! You can find the full TITANS reveal schedule, and all the cards that have already been revealed, by visiting the official Card Library. Check back frequently—the page will be updated with new cards daily!" Here's the Announcement Trailer and here's the deal:

Each class gets a Titan, a celestial being born of a world-soul like Azeroth’s. Minions with the new Titan keyword have three special activated abilities that they use instead of their normal attack. Each turn, including the turn you play them, you can choose to activate one of those abilities. Once an ability is used, that ability can’t be chosen again. Once all three abilities have been used, the Titan attacks normally instead of with its abilities.

The Titans created powerful keepers that they imbued with some of their power. The keepers were left to create, nourish, and protect the fledgling life on the planet. The denizens of Azeroth would worship these keepers like they were gods, and many great myths were written about them. Each class gets one of these world-shaping Legendary minions!

Continue here to read the full story.

NEOWIZ announces the Lies of P demo has been extended on Steam and consoles, and will be available indefinitely. This offers ongoing access to the action/RPG sample following its release during the Steam Next Fest. It seems this is the Next Fest that caught onto our years of mocking the practicality of releasing hundreds of time-limited demos at once, as many of its demos were extended before and after. Here's word:

The demo gives players early access to the first two chapters of Lies of P, including challenging boss encounters, introductions to key characters, and unique areas to explore.

Fan response to the demo has been very positive, earning user review scores of 4.3/5 on Xbox, and it was one of the top 100 most-played games on Steam worldwide. Most recently, the demo reached the top spot on Steam’s “Daily Active Demo Players” and “Most Wishlisted Upcoming Games” categories as part of Steam Next Fest.

Early Access is now underway on Steam for Revival: Recolonization, a post-apocalyptic 4X strategy game from HeroCraft PC. The Early Access Roadmap discusses the game and where it's heading. The Early Access Launch Trailer shows off glimpses of gameplay. Here's the pitch:

Set in a post-apoc version of Earth, Revival is a 4x strategy game where the world and its rules can change at key moments, creating a deep and highly replayable experience. Explore a transformed planet, negotiate or conquer new territories and bring the light of civilization to regressing human colonies in order to prepare mankind for war with a despotic entity.
Enjoy an unprecedented level of freedom

Revival generates a vast possibility space for you to play around with. From sudden weather changes to zombie infestations and bans on certain weapon types – boy, you are in for a surprise.

​Adapt to new conditions with the help of the nuanced edict system that allows you to terraform the planet and fine-tune the game rules on specific regions of the map. Protect your settlement from changes by building special shield constructs or by accepting the blessings of your tribe’s totem tree.

Continue here to read the full story.

Spiritle is now available for Windows on the Epic Games Store and Steam and for mobile on the Google Play and soon for iOS, offering a free-to-play multiplayer strategy game. It features four-player games with cross-platform support. This is said to emulate a board game, which we'll take on faith, since the Official Launch Trailer shows no gameplay. Here's more:

Spiritle is a party game where players take on the role of an incarnated spirit and battle against friend and foe to reclaim their place in the World Tree. Featuring 4-player cross-platform play, Spiritle tasks players to choose one of 8 different spirits drawing energy from the four elements - all with unique capabilities and play styles - and gain control of the board. Spiritle battles also take place across 4 Seasons, each lasting 3 months and offering unique enchantments that impact players’ strategic choices, such as changing the environment, a character’s skill selection or even the entire game board.

Continue here to read the full story.

Twin Otter Studios and Serenity Forge announce a release date for Arcadian Atlas, which must be a weight off their shoulders. The tactical/RPG is coming to Steam on July 27th, and to consoles later this year. A new Release Date Reveal Trailer revels in the game's 2D pixel art style, offering a glimpse of gameplay. Here's word:

Arcadian Atlas is a unique, narrative-driven isometric tactical RPG set in Arcadia, a nation tearing itself apart via political factions and treacherous intrigues just as ancient evil forces begin to awaken. With a queen willing to do anything to ascend to the throne, no one is safe.

In order to save Arcadia, players need to build an elite party of adventurers from more than 12 unique classes, each with their own custom skill trees and equipment ranging from potion-brewing apothecaries to magic-channeling warmancers. Strategic, turn-based battles will determine the fate of both the kingdom of Arcadia and its people. Every single action counts; just one wrong move could tear your party and the land itself apart for good.

Continue here to read the full story.

Blizzard announces Hardcore realms are coming to World of Warcraft Classic, adding the undeniable joy of permadeath to the MMORPG revival. Addressing an obvious concern, word is this will entail additional prohibitions on griefing: "Gameplay, Zone Disruption, and malicious player killing outside of consensual PvP will not be tolerated on Hardcore realms." It's not stated when WoW Classic Hardcore will go live, but players can test it right now on the PTR. An interesting note is that dead hardcore characters are not deleted, they just have to go back to the kiddie pool:

This means that if you die, you won’t be able to run back to your corpse and resurrect, nor can you be resurrected by any other spell or ability. This means that even if you have abilities as a part of your class, such as the Shaman Reincarnation, or Warlock Soulstone, they won’t be of any use to you.

You will continue to exist in the game world as a ghost to facilitate communication with in-game friends and resolve logistical matters such as handing over guild leadership if you are a Guild Master who has died an unfortunate death at the hands of a Defias Bandit or some other deadly creature.

Your character is not necessarily lost if you die, however. After dying on a Hardcore realm, players will be able to choose to utilize the Free Character Move service and move their dead character to a non-Hardcore Classic Era realm. Once the move is complete to the non-hardcore realm, that character may resurrect as normal, but the way back to a Hardcore realm will be closed to them.

• Save 85% on Muse Dash on Steam.
• KOEI TECMO SUMMER SALE on Steam.
• Save 20% on HELLCARD on Steam.
• Save 15% on Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander on Steam.
• Train Sim World 3 Mega Haul (pay what you want and help charity).*
• 3 classic releases: Take No Prisoners, CyClones and Necrodome – all 20% off - GOG.com.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Court docs reveal Microsoft considered buying Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix.
• The Last of Us 2 and Horizon Forbidden West's Budgets Accidentally Revealed in Poorly-Redacted Document.

• Another successful Green Game Jam raises hundreds of thousands for eco causes.

Official patch.

• F1 23 Patch Notes (v1.05).

• Bobby Kotick Won't Allow Call of Duty on Subscription Services on Day One, Franchise Earns Over 2x on PS Than Xbox.

• Devs find that Vision Pro can’t do true room-scale VR, but that’s no surprise.

Content creator video.

• When an NPC's life gets an update - Viva La Dirt League. Thanks Ant.

• The Callisto Protocol Final Transmission Interview - Striking Distance Chief Talks About the Final Chapter - MP1ST.
• Bloober Team is done making psychological horror games - Engadget.

• Rainbow Six Siege Rengoku Event Live Now with More Operators and Kunai.

Thanks Console General.

• Activision’s Bobby Kotick says he made ‘a bad decision’ not bringing Call of Duty to Switch.
• PlayStation Stars Campaigns and Digital Collectibles for July 2023.
• Dive into Relaxation with Placid Plastic Duck Simulator, Out Now on Xbox.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2308.230626-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2308.230626-2200).

• People got the Pixel Fold yesterday and they’re already breaking.
• Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Is Coming This Fall, Bobby Kotick Says.
• Pokémon Go Continues Its Accessibility Give and Take and Fans Are Growing Tired.
• Stardew Valley Coming to Apple Arcade.

• WISPs concerned about how FCC may define 'reliable broadband.' Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• A Video Game Company Made a Bot the CEO, and Its Stock Climbed. Thanks Ant.
• 2,200 Forgotten Vintage Computers Are Being Liberated From a Barn in Massachusetts.
• Stardock announces DeskScapes 11, available right now for $3.99. Thanks Console General.
• How Microsoft Excel Tries to Rebrand Work as Excitement (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Researchers reconstruct 3D environments from eye reflections.
• Vizio is giving its TV software a much-needed overhaul.
• HWiNFO 7.50..June 28/23. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Groot / Guardians Custom Build.

• Cyberstalkers shielded by SCOTUS ruling on speech and online threats.
• TikTok finally admits to funding users’ lawsuit against Montana ban.

• Modder Promises DLSS 3 Integration Early in 'Starfield'…
• Makers of ambitious Fallout: London mod have delayed its release to avoid Starfield…

Last Link of the Day: Hundreds of actors are ready to strike if SAG-AFTRA doesn’t secure a truly ‘transformative deal.’

Obituary: Firouz Naderi, NASA official who put rovers on Mars, dies at 77 (may require registration or subscription). Thanks A.C.M.

A tweet from YAGER has bad news for fans of The Cycle: Frontier. Word is the life-cycle for the first-person shooter will end on September 27th. Unfortunately, the game's online nature means it will be completely unplayable after that point. All real-money transactions are now disabled, and purchases from the past two weeks will be refunded. A post on Steam explains that despite the developer's best efforts, the game is not economically viable. All the details are in this Sunset FAQ. Here's where things stand:

In the meantime, we will apply a few changes to the game and its dynamic, to make sure everyone can enjoy everything The Cycle: Frontier has to offer. These include the following:

• You will not be able to spend money on The Cycle: Frontier before the servers close. We are also removing our bundles and Aurum packs from Steam.
• On Steam, players who don't yet have the game in their libraries will still be able to install it, and everyone is able to play the game until the end of service on September 27, 2023.
• The Special Offers in the in-game shop will still rotate daily and weekly but every item will receive a 95% discount or more.
• The Premium version of Season 3's Fortuna Pass will be granted to everyone for free upon login. Levels can still be skipped but at a discounted price.
• We are making our progression faster than ever.
• All details available in our patch notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/868270/view/3685682069187446227

Refunds will also be offered to every player who made a purchase on The Cycle: Frontier in the past 14 days (from June 14, 2023 at 3am EDT / 9am CEST). Please check out our FAQ page for full details on that.

DSOGaming has an indication that Bohemia Interactive is currently developing DayZ 2, a sequel to its influential multiplayer survival game. This comes in an email purportedly revealed during discovery in the FTC's legal battle over Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision. A section titled "additional information" lists what Bohemia Interactive is currently up to, including a curious misspelling of Arma Reforger and a mention of Game Pass concerns:

Additional Information

• Bohemia will be releasing Ylands in China on PC/Mobile soon
• Dev working on Arma Reforged, Arma 4, and DayZ 2
• Bohemia has trouble accepting PC GP, but is happy with DayZ's console performance

Klabater announces Crossroads Inn 2, an upcoming Eric Clapton-free sequel to Crossroads Inn, the 2019 management sim/RPG. As the title suggests, this again places you behind the counter of an inn, which you must build, staff, and manage. Its Steam Listing is now live, saying this is due TBA and offering a detailed post about what to expect. This teaser trailer has a cinematic intro. Here's more on this chance to be an NPC:

One of the standout features of Crossroads Inn 2 is the revitalized NPC system, bringing a heightened level of believability and diversity to the characters. NPCs will make decisions influenced by the player-created environment, enhancing the overall realism and depth of interactions. Additionally, the system for managing employees and staff will undergo significant changes, allowing for more engaging and dynamic gameplay.

The game's storyline unfolds on the continent of Delcrys, divided into three distinct countries: Yorevale, Untermarch, and Sambria. Each nation boasts its own unique color schemes and styles, drawing inspiration from a variety of real-life cultures. From medieval Nordic and Slavic fashion to early Renaissance French, German, and Italian trends, players can expect a visually stunning and culturally diverse experience.

Continue here to read the full story.

Another embargo bites the dust today, bringing our opportunity to read up on NVIDIA's new RTX 4060 graphics cards. Here's a roundup of reviews comprising first- and third-party cards:

• Asus Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Review - IGN.
• Asus Dual RTX 4060 8GB - LanOC Reviews.
• ASUS GeForce RTX 4060 Dual OC Review - The Best RTX 4060 - TechPowerUp.
• Gainward GeForce RTX 4060 GHOST review - Guru3D.
• Galax GeForce RTX 4060 EX Review - TechPowerUp.
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 WindForce OC Review - TechPowerUp.
• GeForce RTX 4060 review- Not thrilling, but a super-efficient $299 workhorse - Ars Technica.
• GeForce RTX 4060 Review- A Top Budget GPU Buy for 1080p - CNET.
• Nvidia RTX 4060 review- a lot of caveats - Digital Trends.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU Review & Benchmarks - Prices Keep Falling - Gamers Nexus (video).
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB review - Guru3D.
• Nvidia Clown Themselves… Again! GeForce RTX 4060 Review - Hardware Unboxed (video).
• I’m actually getting MAD now. – RTX 4060 Review - Linus Tech Tips (video).
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 review - PC Gamer.
• Asus Dual Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 OC Edition Review - PCMag.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Review - TechSpot.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Review- Truly Mainstream at $299 - Tom's Hardware.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Review Ft. MSI, GALAX & PNY - $249 Would've Made This GPU Perfect - Wccftech.
• MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ventus 2X OC Review - TechPowerUp.
• MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ventus 2X Black 8G OC - TweakTown.
• Zotac GeForce RTX 4060 Spider-Man OC Review - TechPowerUp.

There's now a playable demo on Steam for Dinky Guardians, an upcoming action/strategy simulation for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The full game is coming in Q3 of this year, but you can play the demo right now. Here's an Announcement Trailer showing off gameplay, and here's more on your noble mission to protect the Dinkies:

In this world there are cute tiny creatures called Dinkys, they are completely defenseless so it's up to you, the Guardian (or Guardians), to keep them safe!
Go out and explore, gather resources and food, bring them back and feed the Dinkys.

Start just by yourself, clone the first Dinky and start gathering Food.
But while the Dinkys are defenseless they are not useless, give them some tasks like Gathering Resources or Crafting Objects.
The world is full of dangers, Zumbys roam around and the thing they like most to do is eat Dinkys, don't let that happen!
Use Smart Mines or Towers or even just your Fists to keep the Dinkys safe.
Expand your colony and build more houses to get more Dinkys. Research new tech and create some machines to automate all kinds of tasks.

Continue here to read the full story.

Outright Games announces The Grinch: Christmas Adventures, an upcoming family-friendly game based on the beloved How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It will launch for PC and consoles in October, in time for the holidays (provided nobody steals them). The Announce Trailer is here with a first look, but it's just a tease. Here's more:

Featuring colorful visuals inspired by Dr. Seuss's original illustrations from the beloved story, players must embark on a quest as The Grinch to ruin Christmas for The Whos. Accompanied by his faithful dog Max, who will help you to complete dastardly missions to steal all the presents, players will be faced with the spirit of Christmas, from joyful singing to twinkling fairy lights, as they as they make their way across the iconic town of Who-ville

Complete puzzles to unlock special abilities and gadgets that include snowballs to freeze creatures in your way, including a Santa disguise for stealthy sneaking, a lasso candy cane, and a jumping jetpack. Speed up your devious antics by traversing parts of Who-ville on a sleigh or snowboard. As the story progresses, players will discover the spirit of Christmas and help the Grinch's heart grow three sizes.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Red Dead Redemption just got a new age rating, maybe teasing remaster.
• Star Wars Eclipse Is Targeting a 2026 Release, but May Be Delayed Further.

• Celebrated Game Designer Stieg Hedlund Joins Fitness Gaming Pioneer Quell.

• The how and why of Apex Legends' first trans character.

Official patches.

• The Anacrusis - Update 35- Welcome to the Summer of Versus.
• Cassette Beasts - Out now - 1.2 “Catacombs” Update. Here's a trailer.
• Craftopia - Seamless World Update and Future Roadmap. Here's a trailer.
• Hunt: Showdown -- Update 1.13.
• Old School Runescape: Forestry: The Way of the Forester - Part One.
• PERISH: Exodus - Free Major Content Update.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: June 27, 2023.

• UBOAT: The Silent Wolf - Announcement Trailer.
• Google has reportedly killed its Project Iris augmented reality glasses. Google Glass 2.

• Dying Light 2 - Exclusive 'Good Night, Good Luck' Update Trailer.
• Jagged Alliance 3 - Mercenary Trailer.
• PAYDAY 2: Crude Awakening Heist Gameplay Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Honest Game Trailers - Street Fighter 6.

• GOG x Mad Catz contest- win awesome gaming peripherals and a GOG Horror Bundle.

• E3 2021 set the ESA back $6m. Somehow found a way to make the money printer work in reverse.
• Hunt: Showdown - Take on our new Wild Target, Rotjaw, in the Tide of Shadows Live Event.

• Quantic Dream Progressing with Star Wars Eclipse Development Amid Past Controversies - Gaming Route.

• Final Fantasy XVI Reaches 3 Million Physical Shipments And Digital Copies Sold.
• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for July- Call of Duty- Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake Remastered, Endling – Extinction is Forever.
• Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.35 adds 3 exciting new cars, GT Café Menus, and more – out today.
• (For Southeast Asia) Mid-Year Deals promotion comes to PlayStation Store.

• Figma’s Chromebook program is now available to all US school students. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Volvo Is Latest Automaker to Agree to Adopt Tesla's Charge Port.
• Google is laying off employees at Waze.

• Google wants devs to promise they won't abuse new Chrome ad API. Not even asking for a pinky swear.
• LG just released an HD webcam called the LG Smart Cam for its TVs.
• Bella Ramsey, Jamie Lee Curtis, and other celebs call on social media bosses to stop anti-trans hate.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Assassin's Creed Unity gets up to 313% performance boost with Intel Arc GPUs.
• IBM to acquire software company Apptio for $4.6 billion.
• Samsung Updates Foundry Roadmap- 2nm in 2025, 1.4nm in 2027.
• Western Digital Updates WD Blue Series with SN580 DRAM-less Gen4 NVMe SSD.
• CORSAIR Launches the iCUE LINK Smart Component Ecosystem.
• TSMC Expected to Charge $25,000 per 2nm Wafer.
• ChatGPT Explained Completely. - Kyle Hill (video). Thanks Prez.
• Organic light-emitting diodes- Making the blue shine brighter and longer. Thanks Max.
• Plex for Windows v1.72.2.3901. Thanks Console General.
• Clippy is back (kind of), and he's using ChatGPT for Windows 11. It looks like you're trying to scratch your head.

• Vulnerability Summary for the Week of June 19, 2023 - CISA. Thanks Ant.
• Fears grow of deepfake ID scams following Progress hack.

• EncroChat probe nets 6,500+ arrests and €740m in funds. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• CPU: Intel Xeon Max 9480-9468 Show Significant Uplift In HPC & AI Workloads With HBM2e Review - Phoronix.
• Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 review- Two steps forward, one step back - Ars Technica.
• Monitor: Cooler Master GP27U 4K Monitor Review - Great for Gaming, Productivity, and Media Consumption- - ThePCEnthusiast.
• RAM: Neo Forza Trinity DDR5 6000 2x32 GB review - Guru3D.
• SSD: Western Digital WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD Review - Masterful DRAMless Performer - TweakTown.

Thanks to those who offered feedback on my refrigerator/ice maker situation. At this point, I should probably start calling it a "saga." The repairman returned and confirmed his goal was to get us working again at no additional charge, which was a good start. He investigated our freezer, agreeing that it was not cold enough. That wasn't the case when he first visited, but he felt it was coincidental to whatever he did. He (expertly) took everything apart to find the coils coated in a block of ice, Han Solo-style. He melted all that down and replaced the non-working thermostat that caused the ice. His previous work had nothing to do with the thermostat, so the coincidence premise tracks. His earlier comment about thinking it might need Freon was due to the compressor not going on and off at any point while he was first here, which fits. But 18 hours later, the ice maker is still not performing its duties, so we're still right around where we started. MrsBlue is over this by now, and I can't blame her. She's expressed the thought that maybe it's time to replace the fridge. I've countered that it may be time to get ice cube trays. I've got logic on my side, but everyone knows wifely authority outweighs that, so we'll see what happens. As I say, it's turned into a saga.

Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Play

• The Password Game.

Stories

• Chicago’s air quality worst in the world, global index shows. More Canadian wildfire fallout.
• David Corsenswet Has Been Named the New Superman. Thanks Acleacius.

Science

• A 25-Year-Old Bet about Consciousness Has Finally Been Settled. Thanks Max.
• Webb space telescope just found something unprecedented in the Orion Nebula.

Media

• Ozzy Man Reviews- Garbos (NSFW). Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• All this grandpa wanted for his birthday was to pet some dogs ❤️. Thanks VideoSift.

Follow-up

• Reckitt Creates 'Air Sanitizing Spray' Effective Against Coronavirus. Thanks Acleacius.