Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a Game of the Year Edition next year, reports Insider-Gaming based on a story on Polish-language site Stockwatch (thanks Neutronbeam). The game was released in late 2020, and problems with the launch edition persisted into this year, so maybe the sci-fi RPG is going to be declared game of the year for 2023. Here's the translated quote from CD PROJEKT CEO Adam Kicinski:

It’s the natural order of things – it was the same with The Witcher, which after both expansions was finally released as a Game of the Year Edition and has been on the market that way ever since. The same can be expected in this case.

Speaking of Cyberpunk, a website is online for Refuge Zone, a role-playing game based on the same tabletop game as Cyberpunk 2077. Word is this will be multiplayer only and will not include a single-player component. There are videos on this YouTube Channel with glimpses of development, and this page includes several screenshots. There's a post about this on CyberPunk News with a link to this trailer introducing the project. The voiceover in the video is German, but the post has a translation of what's been revealed about this so far. Whether this project actually has an official license is a bit confusing at this point, so this may end up going nowhere. We shall see. Here's the quick description:

Refuge Zone is a First Person and Third Person Game with dynamic story development and Open World MPRP (Multiplayer roleplay), survivals Game at Cyberpunk Universe.

The story of the project is set in the year 2122-25 Cyberpunk

The game will not include SP (Single Player) – storyplay.

Continue here to read the full story.

Goonya Monster is now available for Windows on Steam as well as for PlayStation 5 and Switch. This is a 3v1 multiplayer party game where one player is the monster. The game's monstrosity is somewhat mitigated by its cutsiness, which is on display in this trailer. Here's how this works:

Grab two friends (and one enemy!) and have a blast as the Busters take on the Monster in an asymmetric 3-vs-1 extravaganza. Team up as the gun-toting Busters and master wild weaponry with shotguns, lasers, flamethrowers, land mines at your disposal to round up the souls of the undead roaming the stage. Collect all of the souls to win, but watch out for the Monster controlled by the fourth player!

Unleash an arsenal of special powers as the Monster who will stop at nothing to defeat the Busters. Go super-sized, fire gigantic laser beams, send waves of minions and use the ultimate “predation” attack to turn Busters into ghosts and steal back the undead souls. Terrorize opponents as an unrelenting Monster and stop the Busters from reviving their teammates! Survive the time limit or destroy all three Busters to win the round.

Continue here to read the full story.

Here's the official rundown of the best-sellers on Steam by revenue for last week:

1. Steam Deck.
2. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on Steam.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
4. The Callisto Protocol - Day One Edition.
5. The Callisto Protocol.
6. Red Dead Redemption 2.
7. Cyberpunk 2077.
8. Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition.
9. Valve Index VR Kit.
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - Vault Edition.

• Save 33% on Songs of Conquest on Steam.
• Save 90% on The Suicide of Rachel Foster on Steam.

• Halo Infinite's multiplayer creative director parts ways with 343 Industries.

• Full Trailer: "The Witcher: Blood Origin."
• The Last of Us - Official Trailer - HBO Max.

• Google opens its first UK centre making tech for disabled people.

Official trailer.

• Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 Launch Trailer.

• Fortnite is the first game using Unreal Engine 5.1, supporting Nanite, Lumen & Virtual Shadow Maps.

• Introducing Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 1, live today.
• The Game Awards will be ‘significantly shorter’ this year due to feedback. Thank goodness.

• Display maker BOE showcases world's first 600Hz gaming laptop. It goes to 11. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Forget smartwatches, consumers are buying up these quirky, alternative wearable devices.

• Scalpers struggling to sell RTX 4080 cards, now 'graciously' offering them at MSRP. Thanks Simon.
• Core i5-13500 ES CPU Beats Core i5-12500 By Over 50 Percent In Early Multi-Threaded Benchmarks.
• AMD Ryzen 7900-7700-7600 non-X CPUs reportedly launch on January 10th.
• Intel promises one trillion transistors on package by 2030 - VideoCardz.com

• China operating over 100 police stations across the world with the help of some host nations, report claims.

• Warhammer 40K: Darktide PC Performance Analysis & Ray Tracing Benchmarks - DSOGaming.

• CPU Cooler: DeepCool AG400 Air Cooler Review - Budget Price, Medium Performance - Tom's Hardware. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Keyboard: Das Keyboard MacTigr Review- Just My Type - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Motherboard: Biostar X670E Valkyrie Motherboard Review- Solid Features, Lacking Polish - Tom's Hardware.
• Mouse: Darmoshark N3 Wireless Review- The best mouse you never heard of! - Gen3D Tech (video).
• Mouse: ROCCAT Kone Air Wireless Gaming Mouse - Christ Centered Gamer.
• PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1200W ATX v3.0 Power Supply Review - Tom's Hardware.

Happy birthday to dedicated Blue's News contributor Console General, who has submitted a plethora (thousands, perhaps?) of links under a few different nicknames over the years. His correspondence comes from Australia, so here's a celebration of all things Down Under in his honor. Enjoy CG, hopefully the celebrations don't involve any chunder.

Thunderful Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• The French Baguette Is Granted UNESCO World Heritage Status (may require registration or subscription).

Science
Thanks Max.

• Google's quantum computer suggests wormholes are real.
• Earth's magnetic field confirms biblical stories of destruction.
• New device can make hydrogen when dunked in salt water.

Media

• Yes, Established Titles Is A Scam. Thanks RedEye9.
• Lorraine and Biff together at last. Thanks Kxmode.

Creature Features
Thanks Kxmode.

• Wait for it.. 😂 🎥. Busted!
• Best friends.. 😊.
• The perfect retirement present 🎁🎾🐶.
• Leave no one behind.. Why I otter...
• This is a blue morpho butterfly a shimmering metallic blue.

The Funnies

• Gary Larson's Far Side Predicted The Future Of Video Games.