Activision Blizzard may be nearing a settlement in the sexual discrimination lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Washington Post (may require registration or subscription) says a new court filing indicates a district court judge is "prepared to approve" an $18 million settlement. This settlement proposal was revealed when we first learned about this lawsuit in September. It was met with an objection from California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which is also suing Activision Blizzard over sexual harassment and discrimination. Word is: "The Court is generally satisfied that both the monetary relief and the nonmonetary provisions are fair, reasonable, and adequate," the filing states, calling opposition evidence "speculative." Here's more on the disagreement between the two agencies involved in these cases:

The EEOC, a federal agency, and the DFEH, a state agency, share jurisdiction over workplace sexual harassment cases, and both agencies received anonymous tips in 2018 to investigate Activision Blizzard. The two agencies became embroiled in a disagreement with how much victims should be paid in the settlement, and concerns that if the EEOC were to settle with Activision Blizzard on a federal level, it could bar the DFEH from pursuing further damages at the state court level.

“The DFEH will continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court," DFEH spokesperson Fahizah Alim said in a statement. "In recent weeks, DFEH defeated Activision’s request that the Court dismiss DFEH’s case, and DFEH has sought documents and other evidence of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation violations over many years by Activision. The Court has set a trial date in February 2023.”

Publisher Team17 and developer Small Impact Games announce Marauders, a first-person shooter coming to Steam Early Access and Game Preview on PC Game Pass this year. The Announcement Trailer offers a look at this single-player and multiplayer looter-shooter. It's set in "an early-1990s dieselpunk alternate future" (which is actually the past, not to put too fine a point on it). Word is: "Marauders will see players step into the boots of a roving space pirate to explore and breach hostile spaceships; salvage valuable loot, including an arsenal of iconic weapons from the last century; and do battle with other players and AI enemies in tense multiplayer combat." Here's more:

Players will be able to play solo or in squads of up to four and equip gear and weapons to increase their chances of survival while embarking on daring raids among the stars. Should they make it out alive, they’ll be able to use their haul in further matches, put those resources scavenged toward upgrading their ship, or sell everything for a tidy profit.

Continue here to read the full story.

Animal Shelter is now available for Windows on Steam, offering the chance to help find animals loving new homes without having to listen to any Sarah McLaughlin music. This is from developer Games Incubator and PlayWay, who surprise us by leaving the word Simulator out of the title. Here's an Official Release Trailer and here are more details:

Many players have been waiting in anticipation for the release of Animal Shelter Simulator, a new game of Games Incubator. After a demo and prologue of the game, it is finally the time for the final release.

The players' objective is to create a haven for all homeless animals waiting for their new homes. It's not an easy task because of many obstacles waiting for them - medical fees, paying your bills, and employee payments. Just like in real life. Also, players will have to care for animals taking shelter in their facility.

But the most rewarding part of the game is the adoption process for pets, that are currently taken care of in the shelter. The pure enjoyment of seeing as your pupils gain new and loving home rewards all the hardships you encountered you could encounter on your way.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Doomfist is a tank in Overwatch 2, Blizzard confirms.
• John Romero Remembers How Sierra On-Line Nearly Acquired id Software In One Of Gaming's Biggest "What-Ifs" - IGN.

• Europa Universalis IV Complete (pay what you want and help charity).*

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

Official patches.

• Model Builder - Free Frostpunk DLC Out Now.
• Wartales - UPDATE #1 - Harag's Marshlands.

• Kickstarter CEO quits but claims it has nothing to do with blockchain backlash.

• Call of Duty League: Resurgence Rebirth Island Tournament.
• League of Legends Announcing the TFT Gizmos & Gadgets Championship.
• League of Legends TFT NA Regional Finals Preview.

Thanks Console General.

• Paramount+ Brings More Halo to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
• Blast Brigade vs. The Evil Legion Of Dr. Cread Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2208.220321-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2204.220321-2200).

• Apple Wallet adds a driver's license feature for some users in the US.
• Google will test letting Android developers use their own billing systems.
• Spotify is reportedly moving live audio conversations to its main app.

• Mozilla Firefox 98.0.2, See All New Features, Updates and Fixes. Thanks Frans.
• Microsoft and Amazon are battling to entice game developers to the cloud. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Intel looks on track to fix its core problems. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Intel Introduces New ATX PSU Specifications. Thanks Hypothermia.
• INTEL Graphics Driver 30.0.101.1631.
• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 takes less than 3 days to implement for DLSS games, GeForce 10-20-30 series supported.

• Twitter sleuths emerge as Ukraine war intelligence analysts (may require registration or subscription).
• Hundreds of companies potentially hit by Okta hack.

• Cybercriminals rmade almost $7bn in 2021- FBI.

• Blizzard 30th Anniversary trading cards. I'll trade you five Koticks for a Murky…
• The Metal Gear Solid Movie Is Still Alive, Oscar Isaac Gives An Update…

Last Link of the Day: Why there's no one inside this Spider-Man suit. Thanks Ant.

Obituary: Stephen Wilhite, creator of the GIF, has died.
Obituary: Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state in U.S. history, has died. Thanks RedEye9.

Sefton Hill tweets that the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is going to spring ahead a year. The Rocksteady creative director tells us the game is now due next (northern) spring:

We've made the difficult decision to delay Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to Spring 2023. I know a delay is frustrating but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience.

Czech site Vortex has an unconfirmed report that GSC Game World is partially relocating to the Czech Republic. The company recently announced that development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was being sidelined after GSC's native Ukraine was invaded by Russia. VGC translates some of the Czech to help us understand the claims:

Although it doesn’t appear to be a complete relocation of the entire studio, Vortex reports that according to its own reliable source, “part of the team is indeed heading to the Czech Republic, where they are already registering for business”.

The move is taking place so that GSC Game World can continue to work on Stalker 2, which has been on hold since the Russian invasion started.

Before Vortex’s source made the claim, the publication had received confirmation from the chairman of the Association of Czech Game Developers, Pavel Barák, that GSC Game World was making enquiries about relocating.

With Tiny Tina's Wonderlands set to roll out on Friday, the review embargo expires today for this spinoff of the Borderlands series. Read on to find out if this is a critical hit:

• Tiny Tina's Wonderland Review Fumble or Fantastic? "Buy, Wait for Sale, Never Touch?" - AGC (NSFW video).
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - AusGamers.com.
• Review: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands – Destructoid.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review: We're not on Pandora anymore - Digital Trends.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review - EGM.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review - happy vibes and hodgepodge design • Eurogamer.net.
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Review- A Good Enough Borderlands Interlude - Forbes.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - A Spellbinding Hit - Game Informer.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - Spells Like Teen Spirit - GameSpot.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review: "An entertaining and silly mix of fantasy and shooting" - GamesRadar+.
• Review: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - Hardcore Gamer.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - IGN.
• Not So MMO: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - MMORPG.com.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review - PC Gamer.
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands review – Skyrim meets Rick and Morty - PCGamesN.
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands review: TTRPGs make Borderlands fun again - Polygon.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review: Rolling with advantage - Shacknews.
• I recommend- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (Review) - Skill Up (video).
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Review - Borderlands In Cosplay - TheGamer.
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands review: A perfect D&D sim, warts and all - The Washington Post (may require registration or subscription).
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Review - Bombastic Fantasy - Wccftech.
• Worthplaying - PC Review - 'Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.'

A Minecraft Preview FAQ reveals the next evolution of the Bedrock Beta Program for Minecraft (thanks Eurogamer). This is the new way to dig into the sandbox mining game without having to dig into your wallet. Available for iOS, Xbox, and Windows 10/11 to start, word is this will expand the beta program to more platforms:

Minecraft Preview is an evolution of the Bedrock Beta program. While our Betas are currently limited to Xbox, Windows, and Android, Minecraft Preview will let us expand to additional platforms. Minecraft Preview is also a separate app/game that you can play without impacting your standard Bedrock experience, and it will let you test out the latest and greatest features. Also, with Minecraft Preview you will no longer have to choose to play on a Beta or the released version – you can play both on the same device or console!

An announcement on Steam celebrates the fifth anniversary of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. The game first entered Early Access five years ago today under its original title, PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS. The post includes a schedule of Twitch streams that will offer special drops today to celebrate. Here's a bit on the occasion:

First and mostly, we'd like to express our gratitude to our players who've stuck around and sent helpful feedback to us all these years. We're still amazed that it's already been this long since we've first met you all, but we also hope to see you in the future birthday parties for PUBG for another five, ten years!

Today, various events and rewards are prepared to celebrate our fifth anniversary. Let's dive right in.

• Huge Apex Legends leak reveals unreleased 'Newcastle' Legend gameplay & more.
• Tom Henderson: "I didn't include Ubisoft's Star Wars game here because I think that's probably the furthest title from release and we're probably looking at 2025 at the earliest for it.
• Codemasters "Biggest AAA Game" is World Rally Championship Amid QA Troubles - eXputer.com.

Official patches.

• Call of Duty: Warzone Season Two Reloaded Patch Notes.
• ELDEN RING - Patch Notes 1.03.2.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes- March 22, 2022.

• Rocket League Celebrates Women's History Month. Thanks Ant.
• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS -- Introduction to PUBG Continental Series 6.
• Pokémon Catch a Million - Conquer Kids Cancer.
• Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus Collaboration Announced.

• PS5 and PS4 System Software Updates release globally today.
• PlayStation 5 owners report online issues following system update.
• PlayStation 5 finally gets VRR support in "coming months."
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Delta (2204.220318-2200). Thanks Console General.

• iPhone 14 Pro could end up being a weird stopgap before the iPhone 15 Pro.

• YouTube makes thousands of TV show episodes available to stream for free.
• Wix and Amazon team up to make online delivery even faster.
• Streaming Dr Disrespect Playing Chess Leads To Twitch Ban.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is 9% faster than 5800X in leaked Geekbench multi-core test.
• Apple's M1 Ultra Benchmarked: 2.6X Slower Than AMD's Threadripper Pro 5995WX.
• Windows 11’s next big update for 2023 is already underway.
• 8 Easy Ways to Improve (or Replace) Windows 11's Start Menu.
• Explaining the Mac Studio’s removable SSDs, and why you can’t simply swap them out.

Thanks Acleacius.

• Ukraine conflict presents a minefield for Anonymous and hacktivists.
• Anonymous Hackers Fire ‘Warning Shot’ at Companies Refusing to Pull Out of Russia.
• Okta now says: Lapsus$ may have accessed customer info.
• Lockbit wins ransomware speed test, encrypts 25k files/min.
• Beware: This Windows key verifier tool is actually a deadly BitRAT that bypasses Defender. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Deplorable scam emails fake fundraising for Ukraine. Crises always demonstrate how low some will sink.

• Diego Maradona has been ‘suspended’ from FIFA 22.

• Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.

• Case: InWin N515 Case Review - TechPowerUp.
• Graphics Card: AMD’s Budget RDNA2 For Workstation Solution- Radeon Pro W6400 Review – Techgage.
• Hard Drive: Seagate Exos X20 and IronWolf Pro 20TB HDDs- Serious Rotational Storage - Tom's Hardware.
• Keyboard: AQIRYS Aludra TKL Keyboard Review - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: MSI GE76 Raider 12UHS review- Bring the bling (and performance) - PCWorld. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Monitor: MSI Optix MAG281URF 4K Display Review - AusGamers.com.
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z690I AORUS Ultra DDR4 Motherboard Review - TweakTown.
• SSD: WD Black SN770 1TB - LanOC Reviews.
• SSD: WD Black SN770 Gen4 NVMe Solid State Drive Review - ThinkComputers.org.

• National Football League Announces Partnership with StatusPRO to Develop Virtual Reality NFL-Licensed Game…
• Celeste fully completed without dying…

Our neighbor informed me she thinks the damaged trees I mentioned were actually felled in the autumn during the original beaver invasion. I thought I'd have noticed these before, but it's possible the little engineer has not returned, which would be best for all involved. I can say with certainty that there's something new out there today, though. A whole bunch of a different variety of duck showed up this morning. We've only seen mallards and buffleheads up until now. I haven't been able to get a close look yet, but I can see the drakes have distinctly white bodies and black heads. A superficial search suggests these may be the common merganser. I'll try and get a closer look while I'm dog-walking to see if I can pin this down.

Obituary: Prominent cycling community figure killed in collision (may require registration or subscription).

Pinned-down Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• Which Cities In The US Are The Best For Pizza? NYC at #22? Based on Google Trends? Seems super-credible.

Stories

• Top-ranked Barty retires at 25, goes out on her own terms.
• Man dies after consuming drink equivalent to 200 cups of coffee. Thanks Max.
• Microsoft asked 31,000 people what's changed about work. One result was startling.

Science
Thanks Max.

• A new method to boost your creativity gets rave reviews.
• Sulfur from dino-killing asteroid caused way more global cooling than thought.
• Scientists Create Ideal Pizza Dough That Rises Perfectly Without Yeast.

Media

• Playing Darts.
• Metal Pipe Launched from Highway Smashes Through Windshield. Thanks VideoSift.
• Why Global Supply Chains May Never Be the Same - A WSJ Documentary. Thanks RedEye9.

Follow-up

• NASA flyby of Jupiter's big moon Ganymede reveals auroras and huge unknown craters. Thanks Max.