Gearbox announces Alloyed Collective, new DLC coming to Risk of Rain 2, the roguelike third-person shooter. An Announcement Trailer is here to spread the news, setting up the story, showing off gameplay, and saying this is "coming soon." The previous DLC, Seekers of the Storm, described as "disastrous", required a lot of post launch support. But with that apparently completed just days ago, it is time to go once more unto the breach. Word is: "Only one player is required to own Alloyed Collective to enable the monsters, stages, and items to appear in-game for the whole lobby. Players without Alloyed Collective will be unable to select the two new survivors or permanently unlock new items, logbooks, or other content." The Steam Listing has the details, and here's an overview:

The Solus Units were never meant to survive. Betrayed and abandoned, they were lost to an unspeakable corruption. Today, those that remain rise from the scrap heaps that once were their allies to seize a future that was stolen from them. Their continued struggle is driven by a singular purpose: returning home.

Master one new and one veteran Survivor to fight through six new Stages. Perfect your build by collecting 15 new Items. Bolster your strength with 7 new Drones and descend deep into Petrichor V to take on the Alloyed Collective’s ultimate creation, Solus Wing.

The Communications Workers of America announces that Microsoft has recognized The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA, a group comprising nearly 200 Overwatch developers. Word is: "The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA) is a wall-to-wall unit that includes game developers across all disciplines, including design, production, engineering, art, sound, and quality assurance." Here's more:

Irvine, Calif. – Nearly 200 game developers behind Activision Blizzard’s hit franchise Overwatch have joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), becoming the latest group of video game workers at Microsoft-owned studios to form a wall-to-wall union. A neutral arbitrator confirmed today that an overwhelming majority of workers have either signed a union authorization card or indicated that they wanted union representation via an online portal. The workers will be members of CWA Local 9510 in Orange County, Calif., and Microsoft has recognized the union.

“The massive layoffs in the video game industry, and at my own studio, became one of the first reasons I started to learn about how to organize to create a healthier workplace for everyone,” said Frank Le Cocq, VFX artist and organizing committee member. “When we began our union efforts, it was empowering to know that our coworkers next door at World of Warcraft had already successfully gone through the process.”

A post on BlueSky from Funcom corrects a curious oversight in the weekend beta test for Dune Awakening that began today. The developer announces that along with invitees, anyone who has preordered the MMO survival game along is now entitled to participate. Here's word:

Everyone who has pre-ordered Dune: Awakening can now also access the Beta Weekend!

We heard your feedback on this. If you already own or decide to pre-order any of the editions this weekend, you should now also see a Beta Weekend product in your Steam library.

• Gold Gold Adventure Gold Demo on Steam (Windows). "Build a dungeon-side settlement, invite adventurers, and send them on quests to fix your biggest problem…not enough gold. Pet-god food isn't cheap—and neither is building in land besieged by monsters! Inspired by classics, this colony sim / reverse RPG is all about turning chaos into coin."

• Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya would "love" to remake the series' first game - Eurogamer.net.

• Save 75% on Arise- A Simple Story on Steam.
• Save 35% on Frostpunk 2 on Steam.
• Save 70% on Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 on Steam.
• Save 20% on Sky Force Reloaded on Steam.
• Xbox Games Studio Bundle (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Tycoon Titans Bundle (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

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

• The Last Of Us Season 2 Is Now Being Review Bombed Because Of Course It Is - GameSpot.

Official patches.

• Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Update 7.7 Content Now Available on the Public Test Server.

• Call of Duty: Hit up the squad- 2XP & 2WXP are live all weekend. It’s time to get to work 💎.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Teens Play Classic PC Games! - Teens REACT. Thanks Ant.

• Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 514- 33 and a Third – PlayStation.Blog.

• Epic has submitted Fortnite to the US App Store - Engadget.
• Fortnite Fans Get Free V-Bucks For Buying Directly From Epic - Kotaku.
• Wearables firm’s endless free hardware upgrades were too good to be true - Ars Technica.

• ESPN flagship streaming app to be named 'ESPN,' sources say - CNBC. Thanks Ant.

Last Link of the Day: World's largest atom smasher turned lead into gold — and then destroyed it in an instant - Live Science. Like physical cryptocurrency.

With DOOM: The Dark Ages set to arrive in under a week. Bethesda presents the Official Launch Trailer. This takes a look at the hellish environments and breakneck action players can expect from the new installment in id Software's classic among classic first-person shooters. The description oddly starts off with "stand and fight" for a game that's all about running and gunning. And with the launch looming, the review embargo seems to be up today, as everyone is chiming in with opinions. Here's a roundup:

• Doom the Dark Ages Review - Tests your luck, Fast as F*ck, Worth your bucks - AGC (NSFW video).
• Doom: The Dark Ages review- Shields up! - Ars Technica.
• Doom: The Dark Ages Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Doom: The Dark Ages review- Goodbye parkour, hello Shield Saw - Engadget.
• Doom: The Dark Ages review - Eurogamer.net.
• Doom: The Dark Ages Review - The Old One - GameSpot.
• Doom: The Dark Ages review – id Software gets medieval in a dramatic rewrite of the shooter’s rules - Games - The Guardian.
• Doom: The Dark Ages - IGN.
• Doom The Dark Ages: A Very Good FPS With Too Many Cutscenes - Kotaku.
• DOOM: The Dark Ages Review - One for the Ages - MP1st.
• Doom: The Dark Ages review - PC Gamer.
• Doom: The Dark Ages PC performance analysis- Always-on ray tracing isn't a problem and even a cheap gaming laptop copes just fine - PC Gamer.
• Doom: Dark Ages took just a few hours to hook me completely - Polygon.
• Doom: The Dark Ages Review - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t run badly on PC, but enforced ray tracing slows the pace - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• DOOM: The Dark Ages Builds on DOOM and DOOM Eternal - Siliconera.
• DOOM: The Dark Ages Performance Benchmark Review - 35 GPUs Tested - TechPowerUp.

The promised large-scale beta test for Dune: Awakening is now underway, as Funcom continues to prepare the MMO survival game based on the recent film adaptations of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction property. Those interested in this advance visit to Arrakis can sign up on Steam, sign up on the Official Website, or tune into a global developer stream on Twitch tomorrow at 9:00 am EDT. All the spicy details are rounded up in this big post. Here's what to expect:

Get a taste of both spice and story, as the Beta features the first 20-25 hours of the game and most of Act 1. Create your character, crash into Arrakis, and survive sandworms, sun, and roaming bandits alongside other players. Choose which School of the Imperium you will follow first, then craft a shelter, your first weapon and sandbike, and venture deeper into the sands. Unlike previous Betas, this one has no NDA, meaning you can share any info you want with friends, or even stream the game for all to see.

Developer Survios announces Alien: Rogue Incursion - Part One: Evolved Edition is coming to PC and PlayStation 5 on September 30th with support for traditional monitors. The original version of this first-person shooter based on the Alien movie series launched at the end of last year as a virtual reality exclusive. The official website has details on the new edition, along with an Announce Trailer with a look at what to expect on LV-354 (as if you couldn't guess). The Steam Listing is also now live, explaining this is part one of a two-part story, but there's no word on when to expect the conclusion. Here's more on this return to space, where no one can hear Weyland-Yutani trying to exploit xenomorphs:

Experience the universe of the Alien films like never before: re-envisioned for all PC users. An all-new action-horror entry into the classic franchise, Alien: Rogue Incursion transforms you into Zula Hendricks–the ex-Colonial Marine hellbent on exposing Weyland-Yutani’s black-site experiments–on an extremely dangerous mission to the uncharted planet Purdan. With her synth companion Davis 01 for guidance, Zula must infiltrate the infested Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility and survive the ever-present threat of the most cunning Xenomorphs ever encountered, with both skilled stealth and serious firepower at her disposal. And when the threat she discovers has extinction-level consequences, Zula suddenly finds herself with humanity’s fate on her shoulders.

Developer Alkimia Interactive announces an updated version of the Gothic 1 Remake after evaluating the feedback following its February release. Making Of Special: Nyras Prologue Debrief Trailer takes a detailed look at the improvements. Here's more:

Thanks to these valuable insights, the team has been able to fine-tune the experience according to players' needs while staying true to the spirit of the original Gothic. The updated demo is available now, featuring, for example, faster animations that result in smoother interactions with the world.

Want to know exactly what’s changed - and what improvements are still to come before the full release? Check out the special episode of the Making Of video series, where the developers at Alkimia Interactive share behind-the-scenes insights and discuss upcoming improvements.

Tripwire Interactive announces July 24th is the global release date for Killing Floor 3, its upcoming first-person shooter sequel that resumes the war on the zed. It was previously expected on March 25th, but a delay was announced on March 7th, so tune in on July 6th to see if the new date holds? Refunds on preorders were offered following that delay, but now word is: "Digital pre-orders for the Standard, Deluxe and Elite Nightfall Editions have been reinstated and are currently live on the respective platform store pages." Here's an explanation:

Following a delay from the game’s original March 25 release date, the development team has been focused on using the additional time to address feedback from the player community. Since the delay, the studio has shared updates directly with fans showing progress in everything from design, artwork, UI and animations. Additional development updates will be shared via the game’s official forums and social channels, further demonstrating the team’s commitment to evaluating player feedback and being transparent with their progress. Digital pre-orders for the Standard, Deluxe and Elite Nightfall Editions have been reinstated and are currently live on the respective platform store pages.

Doloc Town is now in Early Access for Windows on Steam, bringing gamers a side-scrolling farming game described as "charming" despite its setting in a postapocalyptic wasteland. The Early Access Launch Trailer shows off pixel art and some gameplay. Here's more on the game, which comes with a 10% discount for the next week:

Set in a vibrant yet crumbling world, Doloc Town invites players to start from scratch, rebuild civilization one crop at a time, and uncover the mysteries buried beneath the ruins. The Early Access version expands on the popular demo with a deeper main storyline, more side-quests, resource & monster variations, and more complex systems such as farming, combat, automation, and exploration, all enhanced by community feedback.

Monster Couch announces Flamecraft, a cozy strategy game with multiplayer support (PvP, not co-op, sorry for the initial error, thanks Scott) "coming soon" to PC via Steam. This is based on an award-winning boardgame of the same name, and the Announcement Trailer shows off these roots with a glimpse at card-based gameplay. Here are some details to fan the flames:

In Flamecraft, your goal is to earn the most reputation points to win the game. You’ll accomplish this by thoughtfully placing dragon artisans in the town’s bustling shopping district to gather various resources from the shops, which can then be used to cast enchantments and trigger powerful ability combos. You’ll also befriend the extraordinary Fancy Dragons whose abilities allow you to boost your reputation. Earn the most points, and you’ll earn the Master of Flamecraft title!

A post on X from Hideo Kojima shares the news that development is complete for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, saying the highly anticipated walking simulator sequel is Gold. This puts it on track for its promised June 26th release on PlayStation 5. It will almost surely come to other platforms down the road like the first game did, but nothing has been announced yet. For reference, the all-caps original came to Windows in July 2020, about eight months after it launched on PlayStation 4. Kojima-san gets extra cred points for the post, which includes an image of the actual gold master CD. Here's word:

We successfully received the gold master approval today for “DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH.” We filled in the right eye of the daruma. Thank you all very much

• Disc Golf Masters - Playtest now live! 🥏. "The playtest will feature a singleplayer, 9-holes experience that we need your feedback on! There is a leaderboard to see who will emerge with the best score of this playtest!"

• Overwatch 2’s Street Fighter Crossover Is Giving Fortnite - Kotaku.

• Return to Silent Hill Acquired For Theatrical Release - Bloody Disgusting. Thanks Dark Horizons via Ant.

Official patches.

• Clair Obscur- Expedition 33 - Patch 1.2.3 is now live.
• Star Wars: The Old Republic - Game Update 7.7 Recap.

• Valve Completely Reworks Deadlock Item Shop, Adding -Many- New Items - GameSpot.

• Bam Margera officially returning to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 - Eurogamer.net.

• How To Survive Fortnite's Painfully Slow Star Wars Meta - GameSpot.

• Steam Creature Collector Fest 2025. Starts Monday.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• When video games have pre-sales - Viva La Dirt League (NSFW).

• Virtua Fighter Direct 2025 Spring set for May 11 - Gematsu.

• Next Week on Xbox: New Games for May 12 to 16 - Xbox Wire.
• Full Immersion with Voice Acting & Bonus Story! Mystery Adventure Game ‘Staffer Case’ Available on Nintendo Switch Pre-orders.

• CATL Has Just Made Gas Cars Irrelevant! - Interesting Engineering (video). Thanks Simon.
• Calibre e-book library manager version 8.4. Thanks Console General.

• India ordered X to block 8,000 accounts – here's what we know so far - TechRadar.
• Influencer Burnout Is on the Rise. A New Mental Health Service Wants to Help - WIRED (may require registration or subscription). Wish it was: Influencers are on the rise. A New Mental Health Service Wants to Help.
• Google Messages finally brings "Delete For Everyone" for those embarrassing moments - Neowin.

Thanks Console General.

• Visit the Arctic vault holding back-ups of great works - BBC.
• Panasonic will slash its global workforce by 10,000 - Engadget.
• Visual Studio Code version 1.00.0.
• StreamFab version 6.2.3.5.

• Silence Speaks Has Created AI-Powered Signing Avatars for the Deaf - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Razer's newest gaming headset goes on your chair instead of your head - PC Gamer.

• Your password manager is under attack, and this new threat makes it worse- How to defend yourself - ZDNET.
• Nvidia RTX 5090 can crack an 8-digit passcode in just 3 hours — password cracking benchmarks show tremendous performance - Tom's Hardware.
• BwE tried to take down my videos, so I'm taking down his business - Louis Rossmann (NSFW video). The 0.75 speed that makes most speakers sound drunk makes Louis sound normal. Thanks Simon.

• Activision Is Suing the Creators of a Call of Duty Hack It Says Is So 'Toxic' It's Causing Fans to Quit Playing the PC Version of Black Ops Altogether - IGN.
• Musk funds Texas group aiming to crush journalists with defamation lawsuits - Boing Boing. Free speech absolutist abolitionist.

• The Midnight Walk Review - IGN. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Motherboard: MSI MAG B850 Edge Ti WiFi Motherboard Review - Hardware Asylum.
• RAM: XPG Lancer CUDIMM RGB DDR5-8400 2x24GB Review - APH Networks.
• SSD: Acer MA200 1 TB Review - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Crucial P510 1TB SSD Review - First 11,000 MB-s DRAMless SSD - TweakTown.

I've been working on not being too hyped for DOOM: The Dark Ages, since I'm already greatly looking forward to it. But the new trailer and reviews today are not helping with this resolve. I have to admit to myself I might as well preorder it even though I'm on record about this not generally being the best idea. It's hard to make the case for not doing so, since there's zero chance I won't buy it. Okay, I guess I have not actually succeed in avoiding hyping myself.

Obituary: David Souter, retired Supreme Court justice, dies at 85 - CNBC.

Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• Boy Accidentally Orders 70,000 Lollipops on Amazon. Panic Ensues. - The New York Times (free account required).

Science

• 'Fountain Of Youth' Protein Boosts Lifespan, Muscle, and Brain Power in Aging Mice -- After Single Dose - Study Finds. Thanks Max.
• Why do cats outlive dogs? Clues found in their immune genes - Earth.com.
• Physicists propose a new route by which neutrinos can be produced - Phys.org.

Media

• Duck core😆🐕. Thanks VideoSift.
• The 'Buy Now Pay Later' Trap, Explained - Grant Rudow.

Follow-up

• A half-ton Soviet spacecraft is about to crash into Earth, but don't panic - NBC News.