2K announces the release of WWE 2K23, a new installment in this simulation of the simulated sport of professional wrestling. This is available for PC and consoles, but that's a decision for you to wrestle with. If you opt for the Windows edition, it's available on Steam. There are already four DLC packs for this, as well as sales of the game's virtual currency. Here are more details to grapple with:

WWE 2K23 features an array of new features and improvements on existing fan-favorites:

• WarGames: The much-requested, chaotic and action-packed WarGames makes its debut in WWE 2K23 and delivers heart-pounding 3v3 and 4v4 single player or multiplayer mayhem inside two side-by-side rings, surrounded by a double-steel cage;
• “You Can’t Beat Me” 2K Showcase Starring John Cena: Conquering John Cena in the ring is an accolade few Superstars can claim. In an unprecedented twist on the 2K Showcase, players will step into the boots of several of Cena’s toughest competitors with one goal in mind: defeat the man who will “Never Give Up.” Spanning his 20-year WWE career and narrated by Cena himself, this interactive sports entertainment documentary uses 2K’s unique Slingshot Tech for a seamless transition from gameplay to live-action footage to bring pivotal moments in each match to life. Check out the official “Even Stronger” Showcase trailer here;
• MyFACTION: Now featuring online multiplayer action, the team-building mode in which players collect, manage, and upgrade an array of WWE Superstars and Legends to create their ultimate four-person factions returns.* Regular post-launch content in the form of scheduled Live Events will arrive year-round, offering a single-player experience with unique matchups curated by WWE 2K designers, as well as the new Pink Diamond card tier set to arrive post-launch. Players can collect multiple iterations and MyFACTION exclusive looks for favorite Superstars, from the most coveted historic looks to the most up-to-date changes happening on TV;

SEGA announces a free content update called Sights, Sounds, and Speed will race out on Wednesday for Sonic Frontiers on all platforms. This is the first of three such releases planned for this year, and it will bring new features including a Jukebox, Photo Mode and new challenge modes. Here are the details:

To learn more, see below for a breakdown of the new features:

• New Challenge Modes - After completing the main story campaign, players can access new challenge modes – Cyber Space Challenge and Battle Rush – via the title screen. The Cyber Space Challenge is a time-attack mode where players will compete against the clock to complete multiple Cyber Space stages in a row. Additionally, Sonic Frontiers will offer Battle Rush, a timed-battle mode where you fight multiple enemies, Guardians and Titans in one go.
• Photo Mode - To capture memories of their time on the Starfall Islands, players can open the pause menu to access Photo Mode, which will pause gameplay and bring up a camera that is freely moveable.
• Jukebox - Players can listen to their favorite Sonic songs all throughout the Starfall Islands with the new Jukebox. With 53 song tracks available, players will have instant access to 13 songs, and can unlock the remaining 40 songs by collecting Sound Memories on each island.

Stay tuned as two additional updates to Sonic’s open-zone, action-packed adventure will arrive later this year, including new features, challenges, playable characters and more.

Publisher Aerosoft and developer HR Innoways announce SubwaySim Hamburg, a subway simulation that will arrive on PC on May 16th. Here's the Steam Listing. This does not lend itself to open-world gameplay, but word is it will allow you to go slightly off-track: "Additionally, players will be able to explore their surroundings off the train in freeplay mode, where they’ll be able to walk around the map at each station." Here's an English-language trailer with the latest look. If this all sounds a little quotidian, this excerpt is not going to alter your opinion:

SubwaySim Hamburg also features a timetable mode, which lets players realistically relive the everyday life of a subway conductor. With numerous functions to discover in the highly detailed conductor’s cab, every journey will have its own lessons and surprises, and when the train reaches its last stop, the excitement continues!

Continue here to read the full story.

A regulatory announcement from CD PROJEKT has the English version of an "impairment allowance" the Polish developer is putting on the books regarding Project Sirius (thanks TweakTown). This project was recently revealed with the following description: "Game developed by The Molasses Flood with support from the CD PROJEKT RED team, set in The Witcher universe. Compared to existing CD PROJEKT RED games, this one targets a much broader audience. Sirius will include single player and multiplayer gameplay." The new announcement suggests the project (projekt?) is being reworked (reworced?):

The aforementioned decision is based on results of evaluation of the scope and commercial potential of the original concept of Project Sirius, and ongoing work on formulating a new framework for this project.

• CD Projekt may have rebooted new Witcher multiplayer game.

• Dungeons and Monsters 2 (pay what you want and help charity).*

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

• Respawn opens third studio to keep Apex Legends going for '10 to 15 years.'
• Helen Burnill has announced CULT Games, a new publishing partner.

• Outer Wilds 2xLP Vinyl Soundtrack.

Official patch.

• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.

• The London Games Festival has announced its Official Selection for 2023.
• Nadeshot says FaZe Clan’s stock price collapse is a “terrible thing” for esports.

• 2023 Game Developers Conference Opens Today at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
• GDC 2023: Ubisoft’s Complete Schedule.

• Five Tchia features to become the ultimate adventurer.

• Miracle on the Sea of Thieves: How a Single Idea Powered a 10-Year Journey.

• Continuing Our Games Journey - About Netflix.
• Google's project-killing spree has found a fashionable new victim. Thanks Max.

• Amazon layoffs hit streaming platform Twitch.
• Zippyshare Quits After 17 Years, 45m Visits Per Month Makes No Money. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• OpenAI Research Says 80% of U.S. Workers' Jobs Will Be Impacted by GPT.
• Google was beloved as an employer for years. Then it laid off thousands by email. Thanks Matthew.
• Intel's Next-Gen LGA 7529 Xeon Platform to Deliver 500W per CPU, 12-Channel DDR5 - Tom's Hardware.
• Pro overclocker bricks AMD's best gaming chip without really trying.

• Why You Should Opt Out of Sharing Data With Your Mobile Provider.

• One year on, there have been more deaths in Elden Ring than there are people living on Earth…
• Diablo 4 players think the dungeons feel too repetitive…
• Destiny 2 Actor Lance Reddick Played The Night Before He Died…

Last Link of the Day: Timeshares: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (NSFW). Thanks RedEye9.

Paradox Interactive offers the promised details on Life By You, saying the "most moddable and open life simulator" will launch into Early Access on the Epic Games Store and Steam on September 12th. Word is: "Paradox Tectonic is led by Rod Humble, and made up of veteran game development talent dedicated to building games that enable creativity, freedom, emotion, and sharing. The studio is committed to working with the players, making Life by You’s Early Access a shared experience where the community’s feedback will impact on priorities, content ideas, and development as the team brings the game to full-launch." The Announce Trailer shows how this will offer an escape from humdrum everyday life with virtual humdrum everyday life. It also touts high degree of customization the game will offer. Here's more on this upcoming competitor to The Sims:

Life by You allows players to design and live out the lives of the humans that they create in an open game world where everything is customizable. Players create their households, build their homes and tell life’s many stories. With real language conversation and the ability to switch from third-person to direct control gameplay, players will connect with their humans on an emotional level. A wide variety of Creator Tools and Editors will allow players to tweak every aspect of their experience, giving them the ability to live life to the fullest - or break the rules, as they see fit.

“Life by You evolves the life simulation genre with modern style, real language conversation, and unprecedented freedom of expression,” said Rod Humble, General Manager at Paradox Tectonic. “The game’s extensive customization tools allow for unparalleled levels of storytelling, and I can’t wait to see what creations players come up with once they dive into Early Access this summer.”

Update: Fixed the headline. Apologies for the error. Continue here to read the full story.

EA now offers the Official Story Trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the upcoming Force-powered continuation of the adventures of Cal Kestis. The description includes a confirmation that the Jedi: Fallen Order sequel remains on track for its most recent release date of April 28th:

The dark times are closing in as Cal Kestis seeks out a safe haven far from the reach of the Empire. Follow Cal and his crew's increasingly desperate fight as the galaxy descends further into darkness.

Picking up five years after the events of STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™, Jedi: Survivor is a third person, narrative-driven action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ will be available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on April 28th, 2023.

Continue here to read the full story.

Spring arrives later today in the Northern Hemisphere, but the Spring Sale is underway right now on GOG.com,* offering discounts of up to 90% off on over 4500 games between now and April 4th. But this is not our first rodeo with GOG. and sure enough, the sale will include a few 100% discounts as well. Lorelai is the first of these giveaways, and the action/adventure is free to keep to all who are subscribed to the GOG newsletter. You have three days to lay your claim, and it's safe to assume other giveaways will follow. Here's a bit on how Lorelai concludes a trilogy:

Lorelai, by Harvester Games, is the conclusive part of R. Michalski's Devil Came Through Here adventure game trilogy, alongside The Cat Lady (2012) and Downfall (2016).

A brand new horror adventure with an immersive story and world in full HD. An engaging soundtrack by micAmic and guest artists, English voice acting and Xbox controller support.

Lorelai will take you on a whirlwind journey through an engrossing psychological thriller suitable for adults, soon! More information, screens and trailers forthcoming.

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

Highlighting some comments from The Nerd Queens Podcast by Zack Snyder, VGC shares indications that the director's upcoming movie Rebel Moon will be accompanied by an RPG using the same setting. It's like he channeled his inner Mark Ruffalo and Peter Molyneux, as this seems to be equal parts leak and hype. Netflix's gaming ambitions have so far been in the mobile space, but Zack is talking about a game that sounds like it has greater scope than your typical mobile fare:

“And I was like, ridiculous scale is clearly the scale that we should be doing it.

“And they were like: ‘Well, it’s going to take so much time, we’ve got to do all these brain dumps, you’ve got to tell us everything in the universe, what’s happening, the science.’ And I was like: ‘It’s fine, I’m happy to do it, let’s go all the way.’

Snyder added that the game would offer “a completely realised universe and it’s really going to be fun”, before saying “anyway, I’m not supposed to talk about it” and changing the subject.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new Announce Trailer for Trinity Fusion reveals plans to bring this roguelite action/platformer to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. This led to noticing the game now has an Early Access release date on Steam, saying it will arrive on April 13th. At least in this branch of the multiverse:

The various branches of the multiverse are always changing. Fight through a combination of procedurally-generated levels as well as hand-crafted challenges and arenas that will put your skills to the test. Levels with 3D graphics are seamlessly constructed out of hundreds of custom-made rooms.

With weapons and attack systems that leverage our previous experience working on fighting games. You’ll slide, dash and dodge between enemy attacks and strike back with an arsenal of satisfying special weapons and abilities.

Continue here to read the full story.

• LEGO 2K Drive Images Surface Online Backing Up Previous Reports Of 2K Securing LEGO License.
• FromSoftware's Unannounced Project Has Been in Development for Over a Year.
• Report: "Mr. Battlefield" Lars Gustavsson Founds New Studio "TTK Games" in Sweden.
• LEGO Racing Game Reportedly in Closed Beta, Images Leak Online.
• Battlefield 2042 leaks indicate Year 2 upgrade from EA is coming soon.

• Resident Evil 4 Anime PV Resident Evil Masterpiece Theater - “Leon and the Mysterious Village” EP 1. Thanks Kotaku.

• Warzone 2 players beg devs to fix -awful- screen-blocking HUD.

• The Day Before — Post-Apocalyptic Spa. Thanks Wccftech.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Elden Ring but everything is Malenia Stream. Thanks VG247.

• Unity Highlights Innovative Games Powered by Its Development Platform at Game Developers Conference 2023.
• TIGA has urged the UK Government to start a Video Games Investment Fund.

• Why are the Olympic Esports Series games so strange? We asked the IOC. Not normal like Tug of War, Ballooning, and Korfball (all official at one time).

• Diablo 4 Beta Known Issues Listed; Includes Inaccurate Queue Times and Performance Problems.

• Microsoft planning mobile app store launch, says Phil Spencer. Zune Store has a nice ring to it.
• 5 mistakes to avoid with your gaming laptop. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Mighty Quest Rogue Palace Coming April 18.
• Acer is making an e-bike.

• Amazon's Home Internet Service Announces What Speeds It Will Offer. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• 'Pantry porn' on TikTok and Instagram makes obsessively organized kitchens a new status symbol. Thanks Acleacius.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPUs, bottlenecks, and games- the problem with CPU benchmarking.
• Startups Are Already Using GPT-4 to Spend Less on Human Coders.
• NAND Flash Prices Have Dropped Rapidly in Recent Quarters - And So Have SSD Prices.
• Gigabyte confirms GeForce RTX 4070 with 12GB memory and RTX 4060 featuring 8GB.
• Amazon layoffs- Company to cut 9,000 more workers.
• I just built my first mechanical keyboard, and it did not go as planned. Thanks Max.
• Microsoft PowerShell v7.3.3. Thanks Console General.
• I finally gave PC gaming a shot, and now I'm a true believer.
• Download the Linux Bible, 10th Edition ($36 Value) now FREE.

• This Google Pixel flaw could let hackers undo all your photo cropping.
• BBC presses staff to uninstall TikTok from corporate kit.

• The Internet Archive defends its digital library in court March 20th.
• BREIN Shut Down 449 Pirate Sites & Services in 2022. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Man Arrested After Making 'Minecraft' Death Threat To Sheriff.
• Fighting VPN criminalization should be Big Tech’s top priority, activists say.
• Police pounce on alleged mastermind of BreachForums.
• Sandy Hook Families Are Fighting Alex Jones and the Bankruptcy System Itself.

• Like a Dragon: Ishin! - Christ Centered Gamer.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU/AIO Cooler: DeepCool AK500 Zero Dark CPU Cooler Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Pro review - PCGamesN.
• Keyboard: ROCCAT Magma Mini Review - APH Networks.
• Laptop: HP Dragonfly Pro Review - PCMag.
• Laptop: Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 review- a delightful OLED laptop - Digital Trends.
• Mouse: CHERRY GENTIX 4K Office Mouse - Mad Shrimps.
• PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX-750 Power Supply Unit - Nilk Tech.

• Someone Bought Every Single Wii U And 3DS eShop Game Before Shutdown, And It Cost $23,000. Hero curator…

Today is the vernal equinox, also known as the spring equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. This marks the first day of northern spring, astronomically speaking. The magic happens at 21:24 UTC, or 5:24 pm EDT, so let's synchronize our watches. Sadly for our friends down under, this marks the end of summer, but I'm not going to feel too guilty, as I'm definitely ready for some spring up here. I had a moment with a mourning dove outside the window this morning as I made coffee, and we seemed to be in agreement about this. There's an interesting article about the equinox on Space.com explaining that today won't actually have equal amounts of light and dark, and how changes to the Earth's orbit are causing the equinox to arrive earlier and earlier. This used to happen most commonly on the 21st, but now is more likely to be the 20th. Next year it will be the 19th. I won't complain. By then I will surely once again be ready for some more spring.

Sprung Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• Mysterious streaks of light seen in the sky over California.
• Knock, knock, who’s there? Alligator bites Florida man after he opens door. Land shark!
• ‘Guilt tipping’- is there any escape from the gratuitous rise in gratuities?

Science
Thanks Max.

• UN climate report: The world is running out of time to avoid catastrophe, new report warns.
• Study finds exposure to diesel exhaust can impair brain functioning in a matter of hours.
• Dogs tilt their heads when they are ‘confused,’ study finds.

Media
Thanks RedEye9.

• Pulp Fiction Pinball - Official Trailer. You know what they call pinball in France? Flipper.
• Schlage’s “100% Pick-Proof” Smart Lock (LOL).
• The Great Stink of 1858 in Central London - documentary.
• Drone show in downtown Austin Friday 'Rick Rolled' Austinites. Thanks Boing Boing.

Follow-up
Thanks Max.

• Covid has not affected people’s happiness around world, study reveals - Happiness indices.
• Caffeine in Your Blood Could Affect Body Fat And Diabetes Risk, Study Finds.