Valve announces its first-ever Spring Sale on Steam is now underway, as scheduled, even if it's a few days until the actual change of seasons. This is the annual sale that was the Lunar New Year Sale before it was renamed. This happens to fall right around the first anniversary of the launch of the Steam Deck, and the sale includes a discount on the Steam Deck and popular Steam Deck Games. Here's a Spring Sale Trailer and here's more:

For the first time ever, Steam is bringing the seasonal sale fun to SPRING! The Steam Spring Sale is on now: From March 16th - March 23rd at 10am Pacific, enjoy discounts on games of all kinds!

And... also for the first time ever, Steam Deck is on sale! All three versions are 10% off throughout the duration of the Spring Sale in regions where Steam Deck is shipping. It's all part of our celebration of one whole year of Steam Deck, which you can read more about (and purchase) HERE.

While you explore the sale, take a look in your favorite store category page to get a free sticker each day. If you are looking for a good place to start, check out the ever-popular Open World page.

Continue here to read the full story.

2K announces that for the next week Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure is available for free on Steam. You may already have a copy of this, as it was also a 2021 giveaway on the Epic Games Store. Here's word on the game, which is yours to keep if you claim it by 1:00 pm EDT on March 23rd:

If you haven't yet played the full-fledged, chaotic great adventure that is Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Assault on Dragon Keep is the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the fantasy world of Bunkers & Badasses, with Tiny Tina acting as your unpredictable Bunker Master. Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure is a self-contained campaign, with six playable characters and added features for plenty of replayability.

Far Cry 5 was first released on March 27, 2018, and Ubisoft unveils plans to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first-person shooter. A post on the Ubisoft Website discusses today's launch of a new 60 FPS patch for the console editions and announces a free weekend. Word is the game will be free to try on all platforms from March 23-27 and will be on sale with a discount as big as all Montana:

Celebrate the 5th anniversary of one of the most acclaimed games in the Far Cry franchise, now available at 60 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Play also Far Cry 5 FOR FREE during the Free Weekend on all platforms from March 23-27 and get up to 85% OFF on all editions! Your progression will be saved.

Blizzard announces Festival of Legends, a new expansion for Hearthstone coming on April 10th to the collectible card game. This is centered around E.T.C., as the Elite Tauran Cow is preparing "to put on the biggest music festival in history." Such hype has historically led to disasters in real life, but a video game music festival is not as prone to problems. Just don't take the brown acid. Here's a Cinematic Trailer and here's more:

E.T.C. is gathering the greatest musicians from all over Azeroth to put on the biggest music festival in history. From rock to hip-hop, and from metal to pop, every class is putting on a show. Start tuning your instruments and working on your harmonies, the next act is the Festival of Legends!

Festival of Legends will launch worldwide this April, with 145 new cards! You can find the full Festival of Legends reveal schedule, and all cards that have already been revealed, by visiting the official Card Library. Check back frequently so you don’t miss a beat—the page will be updated with new cards as they’re revealed!

Continue here to read the full story.

Developer Jukai Studio and publisher Versus Evil announce Stray Souls, a mystery-driven psychological/horror game coming to PC and consoles this year. A first attempt to put some fear into us comes in the Official Announce Trailer. For more, the game also already has a Steam Listing. It includes this post with a good overview of the project and its goals:

Enter a world of nightmares in this third person, action-horror, inspired by the classics of the genre. Explore the sleepy town of Aspen Falls, as you fight terrifying creatures, solve mind-bending puzzles, and unravel a dark family secret to expose the chilling truth behind your existence.

The gameplay elements inspired by classic horror combat with soulslike precision, put a fresh spin on the modern action-horror genre.

Experience sheer terror like never before with the raw combined power of the Unreal 5 Engine and Metahuman technology. Advanced facial animations capture a wide range of human emotion, creating a whole new level of photorealism! Dynamic lighting and weather bring Aspen Falls to life in eerie detail, from the peeling wallpaper of Grandma’s house to the dense reaches of a fog-covered forest and beyond!

Continue here to read the full story.

• Save Up to 85% During Ubisoft’s Spring Sale.
• King of Content Creator Bundle (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Save 66% on Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space on Steam.
• Save 66% on Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars on Steam.
• Save 66% on Protagon VR on Steam.

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

• Former Criterion leaders set-up new AAA games studio Fuse Games.

Official patches. Thanks Console General.

• Hearthstone 25.6 Patch Notes.
• No Man's Sky Fractal Patch 4.15.
• World of Warcraft Dragonflight: 10.0.7 Content Update Notes.
• March Updates for the Xbox App on PC- Better Game Discovery, Jump Back In, and More.
• Xbox App for Windows [2303.1000.52.0].

Official trailers.

• Breach Wanderers - Full Release Date Trailer.
• Diablo IV - Adventure with a Dev - Kor Dragan Barracks - ft. Bluddshed.
• For Honor: Content of the Week - 16 March.
• Happy Birthday Steam Deck.
• Tchia - Gameplay Series (7/7) - Customization & Items.

• UK Government increases tax relief support for video games.

• Call of Duty League - Bounty Matches are Back.
• Diablo IV Beta Contest - Pray to Lilith.

• The full return of GDC.
• Season Nine Arrives as Sea of Thieves Celebrates Five Years at Sea.

• Techland: Our newest game is set to be a narrative-driven #fantasy epic with an exotic open world ready to be explored.

• Build an Empire in Anno 1800, Available Now on Xbox Series X|S.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta (2304.230313-1625). Thanks Console General.

• Steam Deck Startup Movie Customization.

• MultiViewer for F1- The fan-built Formula 1 app so popular even F1 teams use it. Thanks Max.

Thanks Console General.

• OpenAI's GPT-4 Just Smoked Basically Every Test and Exam Anyone's Ever Taken. Thanks Max.
• Microsoft 365’s AI-powered Copilot is like an omniscient version of Clippy. It looks like you are pondering mortality. Would you like help?
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1465 and 22624.1465.
• PlayerFab v7.0.3.8.
• StreamFab v6.1.1.3.

Last Link of the Day: At least 67 people got botulism after trying to paralyze their stomachs. The Darwin Diet? In fairness, botulism tends to cause weight loss.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is now available for free on the Epic Games Store as its latest giveaway. This is yours to keep as long as you get your snag on by next Thursday at 11:00 am EDT. Epic typically also takes the opportunity to announce next week's freebie, but they have not done so in this case. The company did recently confirm the free game program will continue through 2023, so it seems safe to think something will be given away next week. In the meantime, here's the store's one-sentence description of today's giveaway:

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War is the first turn-based 4X strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Four factions will engage in a brutal war for dominance over the planet’s resources.

The Strong National Museum of Play continues its strong play to be part of the history of gaming, announcing the 2023 Finalists for its World Video Hall of Fame. There is a Player's Choice Ballot allowing the public to serve as one of the members of the committee selecting the honorees. Final inductees will be revealed on May 4th. As in the past, it's hard to dispute the shortlist. Here are all the nominees:

• Age of Empires
• Angry Birds
• Barbie Fashion Designer
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Computer Space
• FIFA International Soccer
• Goldeneye 007
• The Last of Us
• NBA 2K
• Quake
• Wii Sports
• Wizardry

Revived publisher Atari announces it is expanding its nostalgic reach with acquisition of a dozen classic arcade properties from Stern Electronics. These include titles already associated with the Atari brand from past licenses, such as Berserk and Frenzy. Okay, those two titles aren't random, they're actually the only ones specified in the announcement, so it seems safe to imagine the other 10 games are not quite as prominent. Word is: "Atari® — one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — announced today the acquisition of a dozen retro arcade games, including the '80s classics Berzerk and Frenzy. Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of the classic titles, create new games based on the IPs, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations." There's no mention of this on the Atari Website, where the current news is the launch of Atari Game Pool, an Atari-specific crowdfunding platform launched in cooperation with Fig. This is looking to raise a million dollars to further exploit the Atari catalog for future game projects:

Fig is raising funds to deploy into prospective Atari games. Using the funds raised from this offering, as determined by the mutual agreement of Fig and Atari, Atari will partner with developers to create innovative new games based on Atari owned IP. The final size of the fund will determine the quantity and scope of games produced.

Upon the release of a game, Fig will collect a percentage of the gross receipts from game sales. From these collections, investors will be paid out dividends twice a year, if any dividends are distributable.

NVIDIA announces a new bundle, saying qualifying purchases of one of its 40-series graphics cards will come with Redfall Bite Back Edition. This is a fancy version of Bethesda's upcoming first-person shooter said to be a $100 value. The post includes the Redfall Official Story Trailer and the following details:

To celebrate our technical partnership, we’re introducing the new Redfall Bite Back Edition GeForce RTX 40 Series Bundle, available now until April 11th. Buyers of eligible GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, 4080 and 4090 graphics cards, desktop PCs, or GeForce RTX 4080 and 4090 Laptops from select retailers and etailers will receive Redfall Bite Back Edition, a $99.99 value.

Venture into the darkness and overcome the vampire legion with AI-powered NVIDIA DLSS 3 for maximum performance, and NVIDIA Reflex for enhanced responsiveness. And enjoy immersive ray-traced effects, arriving alongside a post-launch update.

Continue here to read the full story.

Speaking of NVIDIA, the company also announces more titles that will support NVIDIA Reflex and DLSS 3. Word is the headline game is Diablo IV: "Previously, Blizzard announced that ray tracing will be added to Diablo IV post-launch to enhance your endless battles. Today, we can reveal that Diablo IV will feature support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and Reflex when it launches June 6th!" Check out the Diablo IV - NVIDIA DLSS 3 Announce Trailer for a look. Here are more games that will support special features of GeForce graphics cards:

• Atomic Heart: Mundfish’s madcap first-person shooter reduces system latency by up to 59% with NVIDIA Reflex, and using NVIDIA DLSS 3 players can multiply performance.
• THE FINALS: Embark Studios’ innovative free-to-play shooter is available in closed beta until March 22nd, before officially launching later this year. In the beta, you can reduce system latency by up to 55% with Reflex, accelerate performance with DLSS 3, and enhance the game’s RTXGI global illumination lighting with ray tracing. For more details and an RTX video, head on over to our dedicated THE FINALS Closed Beta article.
• Forza Horizon 5: Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 is one of the best-rated open-world racing games of all time, enabling players to blast through a highly-detailed and authentic Mexico setting, in everything from everyday vehicles to the world’s greatest hypercars. On March 28th, a new update races onto PCs everywhere, bringing with it support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex. When activated, DLSS 3 enables GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs to break the 120 FPS barrier at 4K.
• Redfall: NVIDIA and Bethesda have partnered to bring our full slate of game-changing technologies to Redfall, an open-world, co-op FPS from Arkane Austin, the award-winning team behind Prey and Dishonored. Reduce system latency with Reflex, accelerate performance with DLSS 3, and marvel at ray-traced effects arriving post-launch.

Continue here to read the full story.

The Epic Games Store is promising the release of the Unreal Editor For Fortnite on March 22nd. As the title suggests, this is a special version of the Unreal Engine editor that will allow players to develop and publish their own maps directly in Fortnite. Here's more on this chance to exercise your creativity:

Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) is a new PC application for designing, developing, and publishing games and experiences directly into Fortnite. With many of Unreal Engine 5’s powerful tools and workflows at your fingertips, including custom asset import, modeling, materials and VFX, Sequencer and Control Rig, you’ll have a whole new world of options for producing and publishing games and experiences for Fortnite that can be enjoyed by millions of players.

UEFN works side-by-side with Fortnite’s existing Creative toolset, and teams of creators can work together across PC and console to develop and test islands in real-time.

Also included is the new programming language Verse. It offers powerful customization capabilities such as manipulating or chaining together devices and the ability to easily create new game logic.

Firestoke and RageCure Games announce Goons: Legends & Mayhem a hockey game coming to PC and consoles this year. The title reflects the game's focus on the rougher aspects of the sport, though it doesn't reflect that the game is about hockey, which seems like an odd choice. The Announce Trailer shows this is a 3v3 variation on the sport, but it also shows downhill skiing hockey, Zamboni demolition derby, and other imaginative modes that will have you asking Gordie Howe did we get here? Word is: "Following in the footsteps of titles like Mario Strikers and Windjammers, Goons: Legends & Mayhem brings cartoon brawling action to the sport of hockey, delivering fun multiplayer matches where outrageous special abilities are key to your goal of getting the puck into the net." Here's more:

Supporting 1-6 players, Goons: Legends & Mayhem is a 3 vs 3 hockey action game with a variety of PvE and PvP modes, including a full story campaign. Players can choose from one of eight characters divided into 3 classes - the attack focused sharpshooter, the defense oriented enforcer and the wingman, a wildcard that can either focus on supporting their team, or act as a constant pain in the neck of the opponents. Each character has their own special ability, including explosive mines, freezing opponents in a cube of ice and teleportation, adding an element of cartoony brawling to this hockey title where teamwork is the key to success.

Goons: Legends & Mayhem story campaign takes players on a varied journey across ice rinks nestled in forests, to floating ice rinks sailing the sea on pirate ships as they try to stop the Great Mascoteer’s mission to ruin hockey for everyone. On this adventure, players will encounter bosses to defeat, collectibles, character upgrades, and cool cosmetic unlockables.

Continue here to read the full story.

Surviving the Aftermath - Rebirth is now available on Steam and consoles, adding DLC with more of the aftermath of Surviving the Aftermath, the apocalyptic colony-builder for Windows. A new developer diary digs deep into all that went into this and all that it brings to the game. This includes terraforming and a fungal infection that might spell the last of us. The Release Trailer takes a look. Here's more:

For the longest time, you strived to survive the aftermath on planet Earth. Now, thanks to your knowledge, skills, and leadership, you can finally look forward to a new chapter for humankind. “Rebirth” is your mantra, your goal, the dream that will make you overcome old and new challenges, for your survivors and all humanity.

After decades of exposure to radioactive pollution, a new infestation called Blight has emerged. Mutated fungi have started to infect the animals, causing them to become aggressive and dangerous. This infection has spread through the wasteland and is threatening to take over. You will need to find a cure for the Blight to defend against it. Gather Blight samples, study them in a new research building and make discoveries to unlock new buildings, resources, and upgrades.

Continue here to read the full story.

Fiction Factory Games announces Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain, a comic book-style adventure based on modern economics coming "soon" to Steam. Here's an Announcement Trailer showing the game in action, especially if you consider reading to be action. Here's more on the game, which one can only presume was made by gig economy freelancers:

In Penny Larceny, players take on the role of a voice inside the head of a master thief who must navigate a criminal underworld using a new app named Crimr, designed to make it easier for villains to contract henchmen and women. That voice's influence on Penny's decisions may lead to a wide range of outcomes. Will Penny rule the world, or will they save it?

Penny Larceny takes the player on a thrilling journey through the world of capes and masks, where they'll encounter a wide range of interesting characters, from a computer filled with hate to cult leaders and their very own feline companion.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Lee Jackson Audio on Bandcamp. Get 30% off the work of the game music composer for 30% off with the code ljstpatrick2023.

• Burnout and Need for Speed studio loses boss and four co-founders.
• UK regulator posts six studios’ responses to Microsoft-Activision deal, all saying it should go ahead.
• Forspoken may have had a budget of over $100,000,000.
• 3D Realms hires Justin Burnham as chief creative officer to level up action games.
• Creative Assembly has opened a third studio.

Official patches.

• Steam Beta Client Update: March 15th.
• Steam Client Update - March 15th.

Official trailers.

• GRIPPER Japanese Release Date Trailer.
• Men of War II Official Soundtrack — 'Waiting for an attack.'
• Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Release Date Reveal Trailer.

• Hitman studio IO opens up a little about its James Bond 007 game - Eurogamer.net.

• Anno 1800 Console - Launch Trailer.

• 6G is shaping up to disappoint, and the industry can blame itself. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Minecraft Launching Chromebook.
• Goodbye, Google Glass, you were my favorite gadget mistake.
• Trailer: The "BlackBerry" Movie.

• Amazon Unveils Low-Cost Satellite Internet Receivers To Compete With SpaceX's Starlink.
• Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse now a "deserted fantasyland."
• -Monk- Returns As A Peacock Movie.

Thanks Console General.

• Intel Xeon W9-3495X hits 1881 watts during overclocking session.
• AMD Shoots Down EPYC Genoa Memory Bug Claims, Says Update On Track.
• Next Debian-Ubuntu Releases Will No Longer Allow pip install. Just keep it in your pants. Thanks Ant.
• Asus's new motherboard hides ports on the back for cable management.
• Plex App v1.66.1.3632 - March 16.
• Plex Media Server v1.31.2.6810.

Thanks Ant and DSLReports.

• U.S. tells TikTok's Chinese owners to sell or face possible ban.
• UK.gov bans TikTok from its devices as a 'precaution.'
• 60GB Deutsche Bank data allegedly for sale on dark web.
• Crypto-gram- March 15, 2023 - Schneier on Security.
• US govt web server attacked by 'multiple' criminal gangs.

• Veteran Anime Composer Arrested For Sexual Assault Of Teenager.

• Some of Toaplan's BEST SHMUPS are finally ON PC! - Zero Wing, Out Zone, Truxton, Twin Cobra - Retro Ramble (video).

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro review- -A speedy, feature-rich keyboard with all-round appeal- - GamesRadar+.
• Laptop: Elegant and fast convertible: Only the fabric cover slows down the Lenovo Yoga 6 - NotebookCheck.net News.
• Laptop: HP Dragonfly Pro Review- Pretty, but Problematic - Tom's Hardware.
• Laptop: MSI GT77 Titan (2023) review - TechRadar.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B760-F Gaming WIFI review - Guru3D.
• Mouse: Glorious Model O 2 wireless gaming mouse review - PC Gamer.
• Mouse: Glorious O2 Wireless review - TechRadar.
• Mouse: MSI Clutch GM51 Wireless mouse review - Guru3D.
• Mouse: MSI Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless Gaming Mouse - TweakTown.
• PSU: Corsair RM1200x Shift Series PSU Review - KitGuru.

I Love Coffee, but I Gave It Up for MudWtr. Don’t Make My Mistake (thanks Neutronbeam). Holy cow, that was painful to read. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms to start with, so this holds that much less appeal for me than for most. I suspect these 'shrooms may be hallucinogenic too, as the end of the article includes a recommendation for decaffeinated coffee. I hope the author eventually makes a full recovery.

Trippy Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Links

• Here’s the new spacesuit that astronauts will wear when they return to the Moon.
• James Gunn Set To Direct "Superman: Legacy." As long as they release a Snyder Cut.

Stories

• "Willow" Cancelled After One Season. Commence with the weeping.
• Dutch historian finds 1,000-year-old medieval treasure using metal detector.
• Mets closer Edwin Díaz suffers knee injury while celebrating win in World Baseball Classic. I can't even.

Science
Thanks Max.

• Scientists Warn: Common Cleaning Chemical Linked to 500% Increased Risk of Parkinson’s Disease.
• Here's what happens in your brain when you're trying to make or break a habit. Thanks Acleacius.
• New Neuroscience Reveals 6 Secrets That Will Increase Your Attention Span.

Media

• U.S. releases video of drone's encounter with Russian jet over the Black Sea.

Follow-up

• "Squid Game" May Get A U.S. Remake.