Electronic Arts confirms to VGC layoff and staff redeployments at Codemasters are part of the news that it is ending the WRC series of rally racing games. It acquired the developer it acquired in 2021 with an 11th hour bid that came after it seemed Take-Two had already bought the company. It may not exactly be buyer's remorse, but it probably wasn't the plan to spend $1.2 billion on this acquisition only to start firing and redeploying staff four years later. Here's word:

In a statement to VGC, the EA-owned studio has now confirmed that layoffs will occur, as well as the redeployment of staff to different areas of EA Sports.

“As a business, we are constantly evolving to meet the growing needs of our players and driving greater focus across our portfolio,” a spokesperson said. “This has led us to look at reducing some roles, while we redeploy as many as possible against our strategic priorities.”

Redblack Spade announces Fevercide, a horror-tinged metroidvania coming "soon" to Windows via Steam. Games set in the 1930s that look more like the 1920s seem to be the new black, as this is the third announcement this week that fits that description. This is seen in the Announcement Trailer, which features hand-drawn animations. Here's word on this visit to alternate-history Russia:

After a nightmarish childhood spent surrounded by angry spirits drawn to her father and haunting their home, Sandra has enjoyed ten years of peace. When her father disappeared without explanation, their ghastly tormentors vanished. But when a letter arrives addressed to him--with a train ticket from a long-abandoned station--the haunting resumes. This time, the spirits aren't after her father. They're after her.

• Battle Suit Aces on Steam (Windows, macOS). "Battle Suit Aces is a charming narrative deckbuilder. You'll recruit, befriend, and upgrade your mech pilots on a heartfelt hunt for fabled alien superweapons: the Relic Suits. Command them across monster-infested galactic wilds through danger, tragedy, and comedic sci-fi shenanigans."

• Remnants of the Rift - 1.0 Release Date Trailer. May 29th.
• Snowbrawll Trailer - Release Date. June 19th.

• Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 source code isn't actually lost, reveals former Interplay founder, despite orders to destroy all assets - Videogamer.
• Minecraft runs on 8MB of VRAM using a 20-year-old GPU - Tom's Hardware.

• Scientists use Minecraft to study social learning - Short Wave - NPR.

• No Rest for the Wicked - Early Access Patch Notes - The Breach Hotfix 1.

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

• RealDOOM 3 Version 4.0 is now available for download - DSOGaming.
• Atom’s Retribution 2 is another cool DLC-sized mod for Fallout 4, offering 24+ hours of gameplay, 40+ new quests - DSOGaming.

• Blue Prince Interactive Map is Now Available - IGN.

• GTA VI Delay to 2026 Is Really an Interlude for $100 Games - Gizmodo.

• Star Wars: Grand Collection - Official Launch Trailer.
• Next Week on Xbox- New Games for May 5 to 9 - Xbox Wire.

• Amazing Bomberman Apple Arcade Game Being Shut Down, Delisted - Siliconera.

• World's first computer that combines human brain with silicon now available - Live Science. Thanks Max. I'd buy that for a dollar!
• Small Packages From Shein and Temu Are Now Subject to US Tariffs. Here’s What to Know - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• NVIDIA RTX 50 Series Graphics Cards Are Way Above MSRP Even After Months Of Launch; RTX 5090 Remains Close To $3000 - Wccftech.
• Intel Arc Xe3 Celestial GPU enters pre-validation stage - Tom's Hardware.
• US robot makers hope to beat China in humanoid race. Tariffs could affect their ambitions - AP News.
• Windows 11 won't let you shut down? Change this setting right away! - Tom's Hardware.
• Senior Microsoft manager says Mac is better than Windows 11 - Neowin.
• Joplin open-source note-taking app version 3.3.10. Thanks Console General.

• Samsung admits to security wormhole in some Galaxy devices • The Register. Thanks Reddit.

• DOJ confirms it wants to break up Google’s ad business - Ars Technica.

• The Elder Scrolls 4- Oblivion Remastered review - An ultra-faithful remaster I wish had gone full remake - VG247.

• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 G2 MBC & LBC CPU Coolers Nikk Tech.
• Game Controller: GameSir Super Nova controller review- affordable, customizable, and overall amazing - Neowin.
• Monitor/Projector: Alienware AW2725Q review- An exceptional OLED gaming display - Engadget. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero Review - TechPowerUp.
• PSU: Montech Century II Gold 1050W ATX 3.1 power supply review - Tom's Hardware.
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket Enterprise 30.72TB SSD Review - High Capacity & Performance - TweakTown.

• We Shouldn't Be Surprised GTA 6 Was Delayed, Rockstar Has a Long History of Doing Just That - IGN…

Today was listed as National Taco Day on our date bar, but I had an odd impulse to verify this, and found some confusion. According to Wikipedia today was proposed for the occasion in Congress way back in 1968, but this apparently did not come up for a vote. It says the proper date for this is the first Tuesday in October. This makes more sense, as before I noticed the discrepancy I was going to question why this wasn't set up to always fall on a Tuesday. So that's fixed. And we still have World Press Freedom Day and Free Comic Book Day today, celebrating facts and fiction.

Obituary: Possessed guitarist Brian Montana ID'd as gunman killed by police in South San Francisco - NewsNation. Thanks Neutronbeam.

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

Brunch Link

• Alexander Skarsgard Comes Up With Idea For "A Swedish James Bond, No Violence." He's like the Swedish Steven Wright.

Science

• Trump’s 2026 budget proposal: Crippling cuts for science across the board - Ars Technica.
• After 856 'Snake Bites', Man's Blood Could Unlock Universal Antivenom - ScienceAlert. And to think they called him crazy.
• Experimental Drug Tested in Mice Repairs The Eye to Restore Vision - ScienceAlert.
• What to know about stress hormone behind 'cortisol bellies and faces' - National Post.

Images

• Aerial Images Show Progress of Futuristic Saudi City 'The Line' - PetaPixel. A Line in the sand takes on a whole new meaning. Thanks A.M.

Media

• What Actually Is An Orange Julius?

Creature Features

• These 🐶 know how to boogie. Thanks VideoSift.

Follow-up

• How to test if you have a silent mind with no inner voice - 1news.

The Funnies

• xkcd: Unstoppable Force and Immovable Object.