Undying Flower has sprouted for Windows on Steam, bringing us the debut release from Indonesian developer Calcatz. This takes on serious topics like grief and regret for what's an admittedly "emotionally charged" journey. This is amply demonstrated in the Launch Trailer, which is exceedingly weepy. The clip is included in this post discussing the release that also outlines how fans can support this indie effort. Here's more on the game, which carries a 10% launch discount:

Would you forgive yourself if you killed someone you love? Enter the traumatic memories of The Flower, experience death as the killer and the killed, and submerge yourself in a dark, interactive adventure of emotions, suffering, and regret - looking for a way to forget.

• Disposable Corps Demo on Steam (Windows). "Disposable Corps is a tactical low-poly 5v5 FPS/TPS set in the WW1-era but with Steampunk Mechs! Build artillery, dig trenches and tunnels, and blow up the environment!" Here's a Reveal Trailer.

• Lost Rift on Steam. "Lost Rift is a First Person Survival Shooter Adventure that blends base-building PvE co-op with high-stakes PvPvE extraction gameplay set on a mysterious archipelago that can be explored solo or in teams of up to 5 players."

• Rainbow Six Siege X and Year 10 Roadmap - Live Reveal - YouTube. May 18th.

• Save 20% on Last Epoch on Steam.
• Save 25% on Legacy- Steel & Sorcery on Steam.
• Save 60% on The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante on Steam.
• Wales Interactive Publisher Sale on Steam.
• Xbox Games Studio Bundle (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• TID Breakthrough- Games with Links to the Diabetes Community (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.* The Ozempic Games.

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

• Converse Shared Naruto Shippuden Chuck Taylor All Star Line - Siliconera.

• Clanfolk - Update 17 - World Map and Expeditions.
• EVERSPACE 2 Patch 1.4.48035.
• V Rising 1.1 Hot Fix 8.

• Fortnite's AI Darth Vader Has Only Been Live For An Hour And Already Epic Has Patched Out Him Saying 'F**k' - IGN. May the f**k be with you.

• I Just Finished Playing Doom: The Dark Ages, and These Are My Top 5 Tips for Beating the Game - PCMag.

Official trailers.

• Clanfolk - Update 17 Gameplay Trailer - Colony Sim.
• It took 100+ cameras, a lot of patience, and one snack break.. but Seth Rogen is in Call of Duty.
• Rainbow Six Siege- Wamai Elite Trailer.

• Keita Takahashi created one of the most beloved cult video games ever - Bullseye with Jesse Thorn - NPR. Katamari Damacy.

• Killer Instinct Gold just got added to Switch Online - Polygon.
• Share of the Week- Days Gone Remastered – Landscapes – PlayStation.Blog.

• Spotify made podcast play counts public — creators didn’t like it - The Verge.

• FCC approves Verizon's $20 billion merger with Frontier - Engadget.
• GlobalWafers to invest $4 billion into U.S. chip manufacturing after opening Texas plant - Tom's Hardware.
• AMD's next-generation Zen 6 -Medusa Point- APUs could feature as many as 22 cores, claims leaker - Tom's Hardware.
• The Trump Memecoin Dinner Winners Are Getting Rid of Their Coins - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

• Deepfake voices of senior US officials used in scams- FBI • The Register.
• Microsoft Edge gets security patches for vulnerabilities exploited in the wild - Neowin.
• Facebook and Instagram overwhelmed by scam ads and listings - Boing Boing. Only since 2004.

• Meta argues enshittification isn’t real in bid to toss FTC monopoly case - Ars Technica. The gaslight defense.
• DEF CON defeats Chris Hadnagy's defamation lawsuit • The Register.

Last Link of the Day: Foo Fighters Fire Drummer Josh Freese: "I'm Not Angry, Just A Bit Shocked & Disappointed."

Fans of legal drama will be pleased to see this post on X from Epic Games saying that Apple is blocking its resubmission of Fortnite to the App Store, despite a recent legal decision in Epic's favor and a subsequent subsequent "peace proposal" (thanks GameRant). Word is this is preventing the release of the battle royale shooter on iOS globally:

Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.

A free weekend is underway on Steam for FOUNDRY, the Early Access robotic factory simulation from Channel 3 Entertainment and Paradox. This post has details on the festivities, saying this gives players the chance to sample all the game has to offer, including the recent Galactic Commerce update. For those who wish to continue to grow your manufacturing empire, the game is on sale for half-off, and your progress from the weekend will carry over. Here's word on the foundations of FOUNDRY:

FOUNDRY is a first-person (first-robot?) factory builder with complete creative freedom set in a procedurally generated and infinite voxel world.

Land on an unexplored planet and design a giant automated robot production facility under the watchful direction of your AI friend, Carl. Navigate the complexities of interstellar trade and sell your products through interplanetary trade networks to reach your

Steam is also hosting a free weekend for Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, an extraction action/RPG for Windows from Notorious Studios, a studio which boasts veterans of the World of Warcraft team. The news is celebrated in this post noting this will show off Season 1 and comes with the chance to pick up the game for 25% off and continue where you left off should you so desire. Here's a bit on the game:

Legacy: Steel & Sorcery is a third-person action PvPvE RPG featuring distinctive fantasy classes. Go on adventures solo or with friends to search for treasures, level up, and defeat any who stand in your way.

Combat has been designed from the ground up for PvP. Feel the impact of your attacks and use your abilities to carve out the flow of battle. Quick decisions and precision are necessary to win.

• MALL MANAGER SIMULATOR on Steam (Windows). "Are you ready to manage 5 stores simultaneously in a shopping mall? Can you keep the mall's quality index maximally positive for as long as possible? This isn't just a simple management simulator! Here, you'll need to tackle challenges and ensure that everything is running smoothly." Here's a trailer.
• Manifest Destiny on Steam (Windows). "When a frustrated game developer escapes into his remaining Utopia—the game world, how can he discover the meaning of the existence of virtual characters with the abilities he learned, and the truth behind the fate?" No explanation on the choice of such a fraught title.

• Disposable Corps Demo on Steam (Windows). "Disposable Corps is a tactical low-poly 5v5 FPS/TPS set in the WW1-era but with Steampunk Mechs! Build artillery, dig trenches and tunnels, and blow up the environment!"
• The Necromancer's Tale on Steam (Windows, macOS). "A story-rich gothic RPG. Master the rituals of an ancient spellbook. Raise an undead army to march against your enemies. Commune with the realm of the dead & struggle with your descent into madness. Progress through secrecy, diplomacy, blackmail, coercion & seduction until ready to reveal yourself."
• XWheels Grandslam (Prototype) by -Corso-> on itch.io (Windows). "This game is a reflection of the 1990's era super cars and the arcade video games about them. It has meticulously hand drawn tracks with pixel art vehicles to give an overall sense of vitality and beauty. Despite the objective to smash as much as you possibly can while you race overpowered sports machines." Thanks Indie Retro News.

• Beff Jezos Simulator - Closed Beta Opportunity is Coming.
• Planet Party Time on Steam. "'Planet Party Time' combines social sim & party games. As an alien, team with robot PADI to restore a planet via unique recruits. Become a Cube Galaxy Hero Candidate: explore space, play minigames for rewards. Build custom minigames via intuitive editor & host parties!"

• Galactic Glitch - Official 1.0 Release Date Announcement Trailer. June 3rd.
• Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks - Speed Freeks 1.0 Launches on May 22nd.
• Zombie Cure Lab - Release Date Announcement Trailer. May 27th.

• Bungie Responds to Marathon Art Theft Accusation - Game Rant. Blames "former Bungie artist." In case you thought it was a writer.
• Stellar Blade On PC Has Been Blocked In Over 130 Countries, Catching Its Developer By Surprise - GameSpot.

• Blades of Fire on X: 🔥 Would you enjoy a bottle of Blades of Fire hot sauce? Let us know.

Official patches.

• Commander Quest - 05/16 (Fri) Update Notice.

• Seeing Beyond: Diablo IV's Screen Reader & Navigation Innovation - Diablo (video). Thanks Ant.

Official trailer.

• General Grievous Arrives in Fortnite - Fortnite Galactic Battle.

• Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick on game prices, Civilization 7's launch and Switch 2 - GamesIndustry.biz.
• Kepler Creator Series- René Habermann [PVKK] - Kepler Interactive (video).

• Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO Opens Its Doors to Bring Smiles to Guests of All Ages, Near and Far.

• Game Developer - The 'deprofessionalization of video games' was on full display at PAX East. "Speaking with Rigney and other developers, I sensed that 'deprofessionalization' isn't just a catchy phrase to describe demand-side economics in game industry hiring. It's a frustrating reality that may undervalue games from big and small teams alike."

• Red Dead Redemption 2 is reportedly coming to Switch 2, as Take-Two commits to Nintendo - VGC.
• City Bus Manager - Console Edition - Release Trailer - OUT NOW.
• Copycat - Official Console Release Date Trailer. May 29th.

• CarPlay Ultra, the next generation of CarPlay, begins rolling out today - Apple. For James Bond and the other Aston Martin driver.

• US cable giants Charter and Cox, under assault by streaming services, pursue $34.5 billion merger - AP News.
• Teens exposed to weapons, violence & suicide content on social media - BBC.
• Grok’s white genocide fixation caused by ‘unauthorized modification’ - The Verge. So everyone there has root access?

Thanks Console General.

• MSl's new PortalX website 'eliminates the need for software' to control your gear's RGB lighting and I'm happy to ditch the PC apps - PC Gamer.
• US Tech Visa Applications Are Being Put Through the Wringer - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.5912 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.
• Releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.5409 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.
• StreamFab version 6.2.3.6.

• AI resurrects James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader in Fortnite - Polygon. They win by including the quote: "He’s more machine now than man."

• In Doom: The Dark Ages, a Frenzied Franchise Takes the Fight Up Close - The New York Times (free account required). Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Case: Fractal Meshify 3 XL Case Review - Hardware Asylum.
• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: be quiet! Silent Loop 3 420mm Review - APH Networks.
• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Valkyrie V240 LITE Review - TechPowerUp.
• Graphics Card: INNO3D GeForce RTX 5060 Ti TWIN X2 16GB Review - Compact, Quiet, Powerful - TweakTown.
• Headset/Earbuds: Sony WH-1000XM6 review- The best headphones just keep on getting better - Engadget.
• Laptop: Razer Blade 16 (2025) Review - MMORPG.com. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Mouse: Orbitalworks Pathfinder Review- Make your own mouse - Tom's Hardware.
• Mouse: Zaopin ZPW Max Review - TechPowerUp.
• PC: $8000: Disaster Prebuilt PC - Corsair & Origin Fail Again - Gamers Nexus (NSFW video). Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• SSD: Crucial BX500 4TB 2.5 inch SSD Review - MADSHRIMPS.

Here's a heads-up that I will head out early today, to expect the later update to be earlier than usual. Based on what I thought my plans were, this should have been because of plans to watch the NBA playoffs and also dig into DOOM The Dark Ages. But in reality I simply forgot we have plans this evening to celebrate a family birthday. So I'll get to be that guy at the party continuously glancing at the game on my phone. It could be worse, it's not like I'm bringing my laptop to play DOOM, right?

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

Story

• Cheap Chinese faucets sold on Amazon may be dangerous, CPSC says - NBC News. Now with less lead!

Science

• Century-Old Mystery May Hold the Key to Diabetic Nerve Pain - Neuroscience News.
• Excessive Sleep May Hurt Cognitive Function - Neuroscience News.

Media

• "BEDTIME THOUGHTS" — A Bad Lip Reading of Return of the Jedi. Lip reading a puppet seems like cheating.
• Hitting molten metal into a crowd of people - r/AbruptChaos. Is it time to just redub this era the Age of Stupidity? Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Auction

• No Reserve: 2,500-Mile 2017 Ford GT '66 Heritage Edition for Charity for sale on BaT Auctions. Former mascot of Forza developer Turn 10.

Follow-up

• A Baby Received a Custom Crispr Treatment in Record Time - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).