Developer Possibility Space has apparently shut down according to social media posts from ex-staff, as noted on GamesIndustry.biz. There's no official announcement yet, but the company website is now offline. This studio formed by Jeff Strain would be the second property owned by Prytania Media (co-founded by Strain and wife Annie Delisi Strain) to close in a short time, as Crop Circle Games (also founded by the Strains) shut down a few weeks ago. There's an intriguing twist here, as an X from Polygon reporter Nicole Carpenter (not published on Polygon) reproduces what is purported to be the letter Jeff Strain sent to staff with the news. This suggests that the studio closure is due to details leaking about its game codenamed Project Vonnegut. The terse letter concludes with the ArenaNet co-founder and Undead Labs founder saying he is stepping away from the game industry to focus on family and helping his wife with what she describes as her "personal health struggles":

Leaks of this nature are typically malicious and done by outside hacking, so to see internal team members under a confidentiality agreement engage in this was shocking. Given the company's own strict confidentiality and notification obligations, I immediately got on a plane for in-person meetings with our publishing partner to disclose the information breach and to discuss the impact on the project. During that discussion our partner expressed low confidence they would be willing to invest the additional resources needed to complete the game, so we mutually agreed to cancel Vonnegut.

As a result of the cancellation of the publishing relationship and after careful consideration, I am closing Possibility Space. Today is your last day of employment with Possibility Space and Prytania Media. Your final paycheck including pay for work through the end of today will be deposited to your account, along with any other required payments, as dictated by your work location. For employees located outside the United States, today will serve as the first day of your Notice Period and your final day of employment is currently scheduled for April 19, 2024. However, all non-US employees — like their US peers — will have no work obligations after today. In addition, all employees affiliated through a PEO will have their employment separation processed according to applicable law.

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• Rise of the Ronin Director Admits the Team Became “Too Obsessed” With Cat Animation.

• Devious Deckbuilders (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Spring Screams (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Fallout Franchise Sale 2024 on Steam.
• 2024 Neptunia Franchise Sale on Steam.
• Save 55% on System Shock on Steam.
• Save 80% on Vampyr on Steam.

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• Just Cause Developer Avalanche Commits to Collective Bargaining Agreement With Swedish Unions.
• Possibility Space shuts down.

• Bethesda design director confirms Fallout: New Vegas is still canon: 'Of course it is.'

• Rise of the Triad- Ludicrous Edition v1.1.
• Tomb Raider I-III Remastered - Update 2 - Patch Notes. Thanks Console General.

• Could subscription services rescue the AA-tier game?

Official trailers.

• For Honor - Arcade Mode Trailer.
• Venture Forth - Overwatch 2 Official Trailer.
• What is Phantom Fury?
• NEW Patch Release Trailer for Rise of the Triad - Nightdive Studios. Thanks Ant.

• Rise Of The Rōnin Creators Talk Popular Samurai Media Like Shogun, Coincidental Timing, And Cats.

• Baldur's Gate 3 actors reveal the darker side of success fuelled by AI voice cloning.

Thanks Console General.

• PlayStation Store- March 2024’s top downloads.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2405.240410-2000).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2408.240409-2000).
• Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 482- Learn How To Dolphin Dive.

• 6 gaming laptop features that matter most in 2024. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile - Welcome Back Trailer.

Thanks Console General.

• AMD, Intel dip on report China told telecoms to remove foreign chips.
• RTX 4090s continue to melt — GPU repair facility claims it works on 200 flagship Nvidia cards per month.
• Walmart will deploy robotic forklifts in its distribution centers. Thanks Slashdot.
• Engineers in Oregon train dog robot to walk on Moon.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2024.002.20687.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3495 (Beta Channel).
• StreamFab v 6.1.7.3.

• AI Safety Summit round two draws government, industry leaders to Seoul next month.
• Change Healthcare Faces Another Ransomware Threat—and It Looks Credible (may require registration or subscription).
• Microsoft breach allowed Russia to steal Feds' emails.

• House approves bill renewing FISA spy program after GOP upheaval threatened passage.
• We never agreed to only buy HP ink, say printer owners. Thanks Slashdot.

Last Link of the Day: The Mars crisis, explained by 2 experts (video). Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Obituary: World's Oldest Conjoined Twins Lori and George Schappell Dead at 62.

Slapshot: Rebound is now officially available on Steam following an Early Access run for this free-to-play arcade hockey game (which unfortunately is not based on the cult classic 1977 hockey film starring Paul Newman). Word is: "this 1.0 update introduces the virtual hangout spot, The Pond, a new ranked season, and a matching season pass." The game's simple appearance belies its fidelity, as this is a physics game with no shoot button, no "puck glue," and no RNG, so it's all about controlling a puck that has no motivation to do your bidding. You can check this out in action in the new Slapshot: Rebound Release Trailer. Here's more:

Line up your shot and swing your way to victory in Slapshot: Rebound. The physics-based 3v3 ice hockey game challenges players, giving them total control of their avatars on the controller or mouse and keyboard. With over 1.5 million downloads, a dedicated player base, and three community-run regional esports leagues, Slapshot: Rebound looks to continue its steady track record.

Mingle with other slappers at The Pond, a freeplay open lobby that is available as part of the full release. Previously only accessible through custom lobbies, The Pond can now be joined while queued up for a match or loaded into directly. Pass the time with friends and community members with casual play, or keep those fingers warmed up between matches. Alongside a standard ice hockey rink, an air hockey rink, two target practice areas, and a sumo minigame are available for play.

Continue here to read the full story.

Infection Free Zone has infected Steam, where it's now available for Windows in Early Access. This takes the zombie genre in the Bill and Frank direction, as it tasks you with creating the game's titular infection-free zone, which of course will need defending to remain so. The Early Access Trailer shares a look, and here are some details:

Choose any real region from the world. Choose your base of operations, then rebuild and readapt the buildings around you to create a self-sustaining settlement. Take charge of a group of survivors from your city. And when the night falls - Defend the zone from the infected!

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Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother is now available for Windows on Steam, kicking off a roguelite action/RPG inspired by Chinese mythology. In this you learn martial arts from legendary monkey king Sun Wukong before setting off in search of your mom. And as the launch trailer shows you also play as a bad mother… (shut your mouth!) … just talkin' 'bout Lotus Lantern. Here's more on the game which sports a 10% launch discount for the next week:

Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother is a roguelite top-down action game, inspired by a Chinese mythology. Players will experience the journey of Chenxiang rescuing his mother, Sanshengmu, after mastering martial arts skills from Sun Wukong. The distinctive combat styles, as well as a variety of magical treasures and items, allow you to boost combat proficiency and craft extraordinary abilities to defeat legendary formidable foes.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Content Warning is giving you a chance to actually go viral by sending your best clips to the lost footage project.
• Why there are 861 roguelike deckbuilders on Steam all of a sudden?

• Ubisoft is stripping people's licences for The Crew weeks after its shutdown, nearly squandering hopes of fan servers and acting as a stark reminder of how volatile digital ownership is.

• 111 Video Game Details in the Fallout TV Show.
• Bethesda developer responds, as Fallout fans say TV show contradicts canon.

• Genshin Impact version 4.6 arrives April 24.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator April 11th, 2024 - Development Update.
• Wanted: Dead - Combat Overhaul Update 1.13. Thanks PCGamesN.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: April 11, 2024.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Love Lucy's unique pistol from Amazon's Fallout TV show? There's already a cool mod that adds it to Fallout 4.

• Ahead Of GTA 6 Release, Rockstar Raises GTA+ Price By 33%.

• The Witcher 3 Player Finds Easter Egg Hidden Under Novigrad.

Official trailers.

• Homeworld 3 - Official History of Homeworld Trailer.
• Dropping Into Dubai - Call of Duty- Warzone & Modern Warfare III. The cringe is so epic it starts to overlap itself.

• Fortnite exec on kids making games: Island Creator Program is 18+ because "this is professional labour."

• Stellar Blade developer asks players to "go easy" on the demo.
• The Stellar Blade file size is a godsend for your PS5’s SSD.
• Nintendo's Switch Online SNES Library Got Three Games Bigger.

• Epic Games: mobile "gatekeeping" is "at the heart of why the industry is in a rut."
• Apple Is Making It Slightly Easier to Repair Your iPhone (may require registration or subscription).
• World's Largest Battery Manufacturer Labels Solid-State Technology 'Unsafe.' Thanks Max.
• China reportedly orders state-owned mobile carriers to replace foreign chips.

• X’s Premium users can no longer hide their blue checks. The Sapphire Letter.
• Showtime will stop streaming this month – here’s when to switch to Paramount Plus.
• VPN by Google One is shutting down less than four years after its launch due to lack of use.
• Windows Firewall Control version 6.9.9.7. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

Thanks Console General.

• No One Actually Knows How AI Will Affect Jobs (may require registration or subscription).
• Corsair Enters Workstation Memory Market with WS Series XMP-EXPO DDR5 RDIMMs.
• Microsoft PowerToys v0.80.1. Thanks RedEye9.
• Visual Studio Code 1.88.1.
• StreamFab 6.1.7.2.
• Releasing Windows 11 Builds 22621.3520 and 22631.3520 to the Release Preview Channel.

• Apple swaps 'state-sponsored' lingo for 'mercenary spyware.' Coincidental to the shady state in question having a population of 1.4 billion.
• French cities knocked offline by 'large-scale cyber attack.' Merde!

• Senate Republicans furious over Trump trying to derail FISA bill.

• Go Fight Fantastic - Christ Centered Gamer.
• MOAR TOAPLAN! Another Bitwave collection is here! - Retro Ramble (video).

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Iceberg Thermal IceFLOE OASIS 360 ARGB Gen 2 AIO Liquid CPU Cooling System - Nikk Tech.
• Headset/Earbuds: Sony ULT Wear headphones review- Brain-shaking bass - Engadget.
• Keyboard: FiiO KB3 HiFi Mechanical Keyboard Review - Integrated DAC-Amp! - TechPowerUp.
• Misc: Icy Dock ExpressCage MB038SP-B - OCinside.
• NAS/Enclosure: Review- TerraMaster F4-424 Pro NAS (8-core, 4x SATA, 2x NVME) - Guru3D.
• PSU: Cooler Master GX III Gold 850W Report - APH Networks.

I caught up with the first couple of episodes of the Fallout show last night, and it indeed looks as S.P.E.C.I.A.L. as the early reviews imply. I come away with a couple of meta thoughts on this. First, I'm amused by all the talk about how video games will now be the new source of Hollywood greatness. They are not a magic bullet, just like comic books weren't. The early MCU succeeded thanks to great movies, comic books didn't cause them to be great. The more recent MCU is a disappointment because the movies aren't as good. But the source material hasn't changed. Likewise, movies like Rampage and the first Super Mario Brothers sucked because they were terrible, not because they were adapted from games. And the Fallout show is great because it is extremely well-made. If you had Uwe Boll direct it would be hot garbage, and if you had Jonathan Nolan write House of the Dead it would probably be brilliant. Second, Amazon should probably rethink their ads for subscribers deal, but even if it persists, they need to refine the messaging. Saying this program is brought to you interruption-free 'thanks to the following commercials' is ridiculous. It's like those "as seen on TV" ads that promise to double your order "for free" as long as you "pay an extra charge."

Charged-up Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• Astrology influencer stabbed partner to death and threw children from moving car over solar eclipse. Literally left my jaw hanging. Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Science

• Spinal Cord Learns and Remembers Movements Autonomously. Muscle memory. Thanks Max.
• Media Get Close-Up of NASA’s Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper.

Image

• Pompeii- Breathtaking new paintings found at ancient city.

Media

• The scientists learning to speak whale. They like you very much, but they are not the hell 'your' whales.
• Conan O'Brien Needs a Doctor While Eating Spicy Wings - Hot Ones. First we torture.

Creature Features

• Cats Being Badass: A Tribute.