SAG-AFTRA is officially on strike against video game companies as the union seeks a new contract covering voice acting in video games and the future role of AI in this area. This follows a couple of years of negotiations, and comes just days after the union empowered its representative to call a strike as needed. The Hollywood Reporter has statements from the union on the situation. This one should be read in your best Nanny voice: "We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough," says SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher. "When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate." We don't know what Duncan Crabtree-Ireland sounds like, so feel free to pick your own sitcom voice for his quote:

The union has said that pay has not kept pace with inflation and it has unaddressed concerns about gaming companies’ use of artificial intelligence in the contracts of performers who make money using their voices and/or likenesses. On July 20, SAG-AFTRA’s national board voted to give authority to Crabtree-Ireland to call a strike. As of Saturday, the union said it was “far apart on resolution of necessary terms covering critical AI protections for video game performers.”

“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year — that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI, and the public supports us in that,” added Crabtree-Ireland.

The new Epic Games Store freebies are now available. For the next week everyone is entitled to a free copy of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch for Windows and an Exclusive Outfits Pack for Olympics Go! Paris 2024 with a "sport outfits bearing the official mascot from the Paris 2024 Olympics." Make with your snagging by next Thursday and these are for keeps. At that time everyone will have the chance for a free copy of LumbearJack. Here's a handy description of F.I.S.T.:

Six years ago, the Machine Legion invaded and colonized the Torch City, which was originally inhabited by animals. Rayton, the former soldier in the resistance war, has been living in seclusion since then. After his friend is forcibly arrested, Rayton reclaims his mechanical fist and steps to his journey fighting back. And he never expects that he has been involved in a bigger scheme between the mafia, the rebellion, and the legion.

A new Director's Take on the Blizzard Website has a discussion about 6v6 versus 5v5 gameplay in Overwatch 2, the 5v5 sequel to a previous 6v6 first-person shooter. This is a deep dive into a divisive issue so it goes on at length, and the main takeaway seems to be (it's a little vague) that Blizzard is willing to heed the community's wishes and test some 6v6 gameplay and see what happens. In discussing the difficulty in balancing tanks for 6v6, Game Director Aaron Keller admits that the switch to 5v5 has made tank balancing easy. He discusses other issues that affect adding a player to each team, like performance, queue times, and player familiarity. Here's an excerpt:

Because of the challenges mentioned previously we are focused on making 5v5 the best experience that it can be. However, because we operate as a service to our players, we always remain open-minded to re-evaluating our decisions based on your actions and feedback, to give you the best game experience we can. Rather than introduce a disruptive, permanent change to the game, we'd prefer to explore the space further and make changes based on that exploration.

With that said, we're looking at running a series of events to try out different core team composition formats in Overwatch 2. The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test. Why not put various forms of 6v6 in the game in order to gauge the results? We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results. This is taking some time, however, for reasons that may not be readily apparent.

Version 1.0 of 7 Days to Die is now officially available on Steam for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as consoles, following an Early Access run that lasted at least seven days. Here's a 1.0 Gameplay Trailer showing off the state of the post-apocalypse game. Early Access was so long and so successful it's become part of the game's official description:

With over 18 million copies sold, 7 Days has defined the survival genre, with unrivaled crafting and world-building content. Set in a brutally unforgiving post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead, 7 Days is an open-world game that is a unique combination of first-person shooter, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. It presents combat, crafting, looting, mining, exploration, and character growth, in a way that has seen a rapturous response from fans worldwide. Play the definitive zombie survival sandbox RPG that came first. Navezgane awaits!

Continue here to read the full story.

Scorchlands is now officially available for Windows and macOS GOG.com* and Steam, following a successful Early Access run for this unusual colony builder from solo developer Ringlab. This tasks you with exploring and colonizing a far-off moon with a race of birdpersons who use both technology and magic to transform it to their needs. The Release Trailer takes a look, and there's a playable demo to sample. Those who pick it up before August 8th get a 50% discount. Here's more:

Scorchlands is a strategy game where players explore the story of the birdfolk of Giwi, a brave nation that has always dreamt of exploring space. Despite numerous obstacles, these daring birds have finally embarked on a research expedition to the moon of Helia. The Giwi will need to transform the barren surface into meadows, forests, lakes, and vibrant settlements. They will be aided not only by impressive technological achievements, but also by magic. However, they must remember that everything comes at a cost, and with every next step and new settlement built, terraforming will become more challenging and the gameplay more demanding.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

Interim report January – June 2024 from Paradox Interactive has the company's latest financials (thanks Game Developer). These things are all Greek to us, even when the currency is Swedish, as in this case. But there is a big write-down, as CEO Fredrik Wester talks about what a drag Sims-competitor Life by You was on the bottom line:

We end the second quarter of the year with mixed feelings. On the one hand, our core business has performed very well, but on the other hand, we made the difficult decision to cancel the release of Life by You, as the game would not be able to meet our expectations.

Looking at the quarter's results, we’ve released several strong expansions with good quality to our core games, which has a positive impact on the top line and provides a good cash flow from operating activities. The bottom line is sadly weighed down by the write-down of Life by You. It is painful but gives us a strong motivation to further improve our operations.

• Legacy of Kain- Soul Reaver I & II Remastered appear at SDCC 2024 - DSOGaming.

• Gold Medal Games- Summer 2024 (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Leartes Unreal - Unity - Godot Mega Flash Sale (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Gold Medal Games- Summer 2024 (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Plants vs. Zombies Franchise Sale on Steam.
• Simfest 2024 on Steam.
• Save 70% on 112 Operator on Steam.
• Save 60% on The Game of Life 2 on Steam.

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

• EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 has been slammed with Negative Reviews on Steam due to its -hidden- requirement of an Epic Games account - DSOGaming.

• ‘Skibidi Toilet:’ If you don’t know what it is, you will - CNN.

Official patches.

• Smalland: Survive the Wilds - Patch Notes 15- The Treetops Update.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator July 25th, 2024 - Development Update.
• No Man's Sky Worlds Part 1 Patch 5.02.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.

• Tentacular 'Island Builder Expansion - Out Now - Meta Quest and Steam VR - Trailer.

• Activision-Blizzard artists express anxiety and disgust as the studio foists AI tools on existing workers - Massively Overpowered.

Official trailers.

• For Honor - Content Of The Week - 25 July.
• LEGO Islands in Fortnite - LEGO Battle Arena.
• Smalland: Survive the Wilds - The Treetop Update - July 2024.
• XDefiant: Season 1 Overview Trailer.

• Sea of Thieves Blazes into Season 13.

• The Action Heats Up in Call of Duty- Mobile Season 7 — Eternal Ghost.
• Epic pulls Fortnite from "rent collector" mobile stores as it readies own shop - Eurogamer.net.
• Sonos CEO apologizes for disastrous rollout of new app - The Verge.
• Cars Are Now Rolling Computers, So How Long Will They Get Updates- Automakers Can’t Say - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT; Alphabet shares dip.
• MrBeast 'Disgusted' by Tyson Grooming Allegations, Hires Investigator - Variety.

• StreamFab 6.1.9.0. Thanks Console General.

• This Machine Exposes Privacy Violations - WIRED (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers - Ars Technica.
• Data from deleted GitHub repos may not really be deleted • The Register.

• Court Rules FCC’s Universal Service Fund Unconstitutional - Telecompetitor. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Kaspersky says Uncle Sam snubbed its verification proposal • The Register.

Last Link of the Day: Quando ACELERA eu faço MAIS GRANA 💰. That must translate to melting plastic or something. Thanks VideoSift.

Fallout: London is now available for Windows on GOG.com, offering Team FOLON's massive expansion for Fallout 4: GOTY Edition, Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG. This is a completely free mod release, but has drawn considerable attention, as well as support from GOG.com, due to its scope and polish. There are instructions on how to install this on Steam along with warnings that this completely alters the game, and a complete reinstall will be required to undo its changes. Here's a new trailer with a narrated introduction to the British version of the wasteland, and here are some details:

There has never been a better time to sample the capital’s delights! Fallout: London lets you explore the wonders of the city 160 years after the bombs have dropped, and 40 years before the events of Fallout 3. You can now reimagine Fallout in a London-centric universe, interacting with a brave new world of London-based locations, stories, factions, creatures, weapons, and gameplay mechanics.

The Gentry-dominated London stands on a knife-edge, and you may be the key to which way the guillotine falls. Play a new story set in London with a fresh character beginning, numerous conflicting factions to engage with and multiple story paths and endings with up to 90 hours of gameplay. Just be aware of what terrible secrets you may uncover in the shadowy gaps amidst the halls of power.

Continue here to read the full story.

GSC Game World announces November 20th is the new release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the upcoming first-person shooter that will return players to the exclusion zone. The news caps 14 years of on-and-off development, the near demise of the developer, sale rumors, and oh so many delays. To recap: The sequel to 2007's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was first announced in 2010. Two years later the headline read the game was still alive amid rumors its developer was closing. GSC got rolling again in 2014 and resumed development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in 2018, going on to reannounce it the next year. Then came a delay pushing the launch out to December 8, 2022, announced before the Russian invasion of Ukraine that really set things back. The impact of the war eventually caused development to be sidelined. Then came word to expect the game in 2023, followed by a delay to 2024, followed by another setback earlier this year saying the launch would be September 5th. That brings us to now, and the new release date of November 20th, presumably carved in sand, is to allow for more bug fixing. The new trailer accompanying the news acknowledges the circus with its title: "Really, Again?" Word is to expect a developer deep dive next month:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will now be launching on November 20, 2024, moving from the previously planned date of September 5, 2024.

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more “unexpected anomalies” (or simply “bugs”, as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding - it means the world to us. We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.” said Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World.

Continue here to read the full story.

Grab your laser rifle and hit the caps-lock, as EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 has landed in the west for Windows and PlayStation 4/5, and the PC edition of this alien-infested third-person shooter is available on Steam. Invoking Starship Troopers long before anyone dove into HELLDIVERS, this series has always focused on madcap action and odd vibes, as seen in the Launch Trailer. There's no launch discount, but there are early adopter bonuses to encourage you to pick it up, counterbalanced by hundreds of "mostly negative" reviews that suggest caution is in order. We have to highlight the short blurb on Steam for its oddness: "Live the future of despair. The year is 2024 AD. The survivors fought against the remaining threats while trying their best to continue their recovery. Three years passed in the year 2027. In a new world without hope, the time has come to once again resist the fate of the Earth." Apologies if that hurt your brain. The version of the description in the announcement we received is far more coherent:

In the year 2024, humanity won the war against the unknown invaders known as “Primers”, and peace returned to the planet. But as a result of the conflict, 90% of Earth’s population was destroyed, leaving civilization on the brink of collapse. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 begins in 2027, three years after the events of EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5. The survivors continue their efforts to rebuild but threats to the world’s safety remain persistent. The Earth Defense Force (EDF) is once again called upon to protect the planet from aggressive extraterrestrial invaders.

Featuring hundreds of new missions and weapons, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 supports two-player co-op with split-screen or online co-op with up to four players. Players will need to embark on a perilous adventure as they unveil an exciting new story within the EDF series. With four returning classes to choose from (Ranger, Air Raider, Wing Diver, and Fencer), each armed with new abilities and weaponry, players will need to defend Earth and engage in intense battles against a wide range of colossal and deadly alien creatures while using cunning strategies to emerge victorious and protect the planet.

Continue here to read the full story.

New Bladekisser DLC is now available for Windows and consoles, adding new content to Trepang2, the first-person shooter from Team17 and Trepang Studios that promises to turn you into "the ultimate badass" (apologies to Gearbox). The PC version is on Steam, and requires the original game. Here's a claustrophobic Launch Trailer with a slice of gameplay with plenty of close-ups and rapid edits. Here's the description:

Trepang Studios and Team17 Digital have released the latest DLC called Bladekisser for the exhilarating FPS, Trepang2. Shoot and slice your way through enemies and embark on new missions, engaging in up-close, brutal combat with your killer sword.

Following the launch of Trepang2 last year, this DLC will feature 3 new weapons, an impressively crafted sword, a mint machine gun, and a revolver to obliterate your enemies. It also includes 2 new side missions, 9 combat simulator maps, 3 HVTs and new intel. Those who already have the Trepang2 Season Pass will have Bladekisser included.

Steam now offers Early Access to Lost Castle 2, and the 2D roguelite brawler sequel is 10% off for the next two weeks. The Early Access Trailer shows off some gameplay, and here's a description of this follow-up to the original, which sold a couple million units:

Join the Treasure Hunters Guild and set off on an adventure to the enigmatic Dark Castle in an action-packed expedition for loot and priceless treasures! Discover over 200 weapons and armour types, and jump into battle against hordes of enemies and over 10 big bosses to unlock new rewards. Find treasures and trinkets to improve your strength and enhance your skills with passive effects, with powerful loot and tantalising bounty waiting for players willing to venture into the Dark Castle’s depths.

Adventure as a solo treasure-hunter or party up with friends in frenetic 2-4 player online co-op. With an abundance of weapons to wield and monsters to fight, find your preferred playstyle and face the challenges of the Dark Castle in this action-packed roguelike adventure.

Continue here to read the full story.

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD is now available for PC and mobile, and the Windows and macOS edition is on Steam with a 10% launch discount. A brief NOW AVAILABLE Trailer is here with a look at the game's hand-drawn art and fantasy combat. Here's a bit on the tower defense sequel, and how it builds on its forebears:

In Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance, players can now choose two heroes to take into battle. With 12 distinct heroes available, players can combine their unique skills to gain a strategic edge. For example, by combining Onagro's powerful but slow attacks with Nyru's agile magical abilities, players can effectively counter a variety of enemies. Whether you prefer brave soldiers, ancient creatures, or wielders of the dark arts, this sequel offers a rich and diverse roster of heroes for an engaging experience!

In addition, the tower system has been revamped to make battles more thrilling than ever. With 15 towers each boasting unique abilities, players will be able to explore new strategic possibilities, like using the Arborean Emissary to weaken enemies' defenses for the Tricannon's powerful attacks or the Paladin Covenant's melee prowess, or combining the range of the noble Royal Archers with the mischievous might of the Demon Pit. The game offers complete flexibility in tower deployment, making tactical planning and decision-making crucial to victory.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Rogue Night on Steam (Windows). "A rogue lite survival game - Confront hordes of undead, gather resources to build and survive. Explore locations and rescue NPCs who will aid on your journey."

Official patches.

• Champion Shift 1.1 Release Notes - Joan Of Arc Arrives.
• STALCRAFT- X - 📰 Patchnote [25.07.24].

• Does a game being 'mobile-first' limit the amount a developer can charge on console? - GamesIndustry.biz.

Official trailers.

• Cat Quest III - How To Be A Pirate.
• Champion Shift - Joan of Arc Release Trailer.
• Trackmania World Cup 2024 Trailer.

• The Trackmania World Cup 2024 is set for October, 25. Thanks Frans.

• Monster Train - Launch Trailer - PS5 Games.

• Capacitive controls could be the cause of a spate of VW ID.4 crashes - Ars Technica. Thanks Max.

• Reddit is now blocking major search engines and AI bots — except the ones that pay - The Verge.

Thanks Console General.

• CrowdStrike faces backlash as ‘thank you’ gift cards are blocked - Microsoft IT outage - The Guardian.
• Bosses implemented return-to-office mandates hoping their workers would quit - Fox Business. Thanks Matthew.
• Spot: Boston Dynamics’ robot dog burns just weed, not crop in need. Snoop dog.
• DVDFab 13.0.2.2.
• Evernote 10.98.2.

• North Korean hacker got hired by US security vendor, immediately loaded malware - Ars Technica. Thanks Matthew.
• Data breach exposes US spyware maker behind Windows, Mac, Android and Chromebook malware - TechCrunch.

• Case: Antec C8 Review - TechPowerUp.
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8500G Review - Zen 4 + Zen 4c Tested - TechPowerUp.
• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Geekom AE7 Mini PC with Ryzen 9 7940HS - Guru3D.
• Dock: Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multi-Display docking station review - TechRadar.
• Motherboard: ASRock Z790I Lightning WiFi Motherboard - OCinsode.
• Speakers/Soundbar: Creative Pebble X - Christ Centered Gamer.

• Dr Disrespect Makes Change to Social Media Page - GameRant…

I recently replaced my Duracell battery charger because the one that came with a set of batteries was failing to charge some of them. A theoretically better one was indeed able to charge five AA batteries that just caused the older charger to blink red. On the other hand, not only did it fail to charge a couple of older AAA batteries, but leaving them in the charger for a while left them extremely hot to the touch, and I'm pretty convinced this would have eventually led to a fire. I guess I'll look for a safer replacement from the world of junky no-name commodity electronics, but I don't think I will ever leave one of these unattended after this. The one name-brand model I see out there is from Panasonic, which seems designed for Panasonic batteries, but maybe I'll give one of those a tumble before taking a stab at another brand like "WISSBLUE."

Charged-up Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• The Highly Infectious FLiRT Variants Behind the Summer Covid Wave - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Your cup of coffee is about to get even more expensive - Financial Post.

Science

• One Type of Fiber Could Have Weight Loss Benefits Similar to Ozempic - ScienceAlert.
• Dogs can smell human stress and make decisions accordingly, study says - NPR. That tracks.
• Researchers have found a protein that seems to protect brain cells from Alzheimer's. Thanks Mr. Tact.

Media

• When Apple Admits They’re Wrong - SAMTIME (NSFW). Thanks RedEye9.
• I Built a Supersonic NERF Blaster - Mike Shane.