A post on X from Uncapped Games announces that development has ended for Battle Aces, and this planned action-oriented real-time strategy game will not come to Early Access, much less a full launch. It offers heartfelt thanks to supporters, but says the results of testing were not strong enough to justify continuing. Word is the decision was not made lightly:

Today, with deep regret, we are announcing that development on Battle Aces has come to an end. Creating Battle Aces has been tremendously rewarding and we are grateful for the passion and support from our community. Unfortunately, the returns from early testing were not strong enough to support continued development.

This decision was not made lightly. Battle Aces represented a bold vision — our attempt to reimagine real-time strategy for a new generation. We set out to create something fast, tactical, and approachable, while still delivering the depth that makes RTS special. Every step of the way, from internal playtests to closed betas, we were fueled by your enthusiasm, feedback, and support.

An X from Mortal Kombat 1 announces that no more DLC is coming to Mortal Kombat 1 (thanks IGN). Word is the team at NetherRealm Studios needs to move on to its next project:

We are hearing players’ requests for continued game support of Mortal Kombat 1, and, while we will continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 through balance adjustments and fixes, there will not be additional DLC characters or story chapters released from this point on.

We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can.

• The Colony: New Haven Chronicles on Steam (Windows). "New Haven is a utopia under a red moon, turned into a dystopian nightmare. You are a prisoner with no name, waking up in the middle of an emergency. Fight for survival guided by an enigmatic voice in your head, explore a falling world, solve puzzles, and unravel dark secrets."

• Chinese Frontiers – Official Trailer - FULL RELEASE June 19, 2025 (Steam).
• The Colony: New Haven Chronicles - Release Date Announcement Trailer - indie.io. June 18th.

• Larian insists it did not accidentally leak Divinity- Original Sin 3, it was just a glitch on X - PC Gamer.

• Save 55% on Viewfinder on Steam. Thanks Seivardian.

• Q1 Earnings Roundup- Roblox (NYSE-RBLX) And The Rest Of The Video Gaming Segment.

• 70% of games with online requirements are doomed, according to Stop Killing Games survey - Rock Paper Shotgun.

• Squash Call Of Duty Beef By Sending Your Rival Literal Beef - GameSpot.

Official patches.

• Smalland: Survive the Wilds - Crossplay Has Arrived in Smalland.

• Overwatch 2’s hero bans mean changes for Sombra, Zarya, and more - Polygon.

• "We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games - GamesRadar+.

Official trailers.

• American Truck Simulator - 2025 Trailer.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Season 04 Multiplayer Maps.
• Marvel Rivals - Official Hellfire Gala- Arakko Map Reveal Trailer.
• Smalland- Survive the Wilds - Crossplay Trailer.
• Star Wars Outlaws - A Pirate's Fortune - The First 28 Minutes of 4K Gameplay.

• Deadzone: Rogue - Major Update Coming for Zombies v. Vampires Fest Next Week.

• Switch 2 supports USB mouse controls, developer reveals - VGC.
• Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 515- Justice for Super Mirth – PlayStation.Blog.

• Google’s Secret Weapon For Cars Is Finally Rolling Out - Carscoops.
• Introducing Call of Duty- Mobile Season 5 — Primal Reckoning.

• OnlyFans is in talks to sell for $8 billion - Engadget.
• Discord admits role in the decline of forums, aims to use AI to make info easier to find - Neowin.

• Valve CEO Gabe Newell’s Neuralink competitor is expecting its first brain chip this year - The Verge.
• Pegatron preps 1,177 PFLOP AI rack with 128 AMD MI350X GPUs - Tom's Hardware.
• Realtek's $10 tiny 10GbE network adapter is coming to motherboards later this year - Tom's Hardware. Thanks Max.

Thanks A.M.

• The Only Way to Deal With the Threat From AI: Shut It Down - TIME.
• People are tricking AI chatbots into helping commit crimes - TechRadar.
• If AI has free will, who's responsible when things go wrong? - Earth.com.
• Teenage students often use AI to do homework, a survey finds. This is the impact on their grades - CNA. Thanks Max.
• Let's Talk About ChatGPT and Cheating in the Classroom - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Authors leaving AI prompts and responses in their novels - Boing Boing.
• Most AI chatbots devour your user data - these are the worst offenders - ZDNET.

• Former Lego Group child safety expert joins Roblox as head of parental advocacy - Game Developer.
• Indian IT giant investigates M&S cyber-attack link - BBC.

• Feds charge 16 Russians allegedly tied to botnets used in cyberattacks and spying - Ars Technica.
• Florida judge rules AI chatbots not protected by First Amendment - Courthouse News Service. Thanks A.M.

Last Link of the Day: 'The Wheel Of Time' Canceled By Prime Video After 3 Seasons (Exclusive) - Deadline.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has completed its Early Access run, and this crowdfunded open-world RPG is now officially available for Windows on Steam as well as consoles. There is no launch discount, but if you want to pay more, there's also a Supporter's Edition (super cheapskate protip: Buying the base game and the Supporter's Pack add-on will set you back a full penny less). The Official Release Trailer takes a look, and a playable demo is available. Here's word on the game:

Step into the world of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, a mature, first-person perspective open-world RPG that immerses you in a dark fantasy realm inspired by Arthurian legends.

Uncover a complex and branching main storyline that lets you shape the legacy of King Arthur’s reign, 600 years after his fall amidst unending strife.

This game is a love letter to open-world FPP RPGs.

GLUM is now available for Windows on Steam, kicking off Early Access to what CinderCat Games calls a "first-person booter." That's because this is all about kicking ass and taking names, as shown off in the Early Access Launch Trailer, which promises madcap action and "slightly above-average humor." And for the next week it will be easier to foot the bill, thanks to a 20% launch discount. Here's word:

In this unique “First-Person Booter” you take on the role as Glum, the crude ass-kicking goblin with his magical ass-kicking boot. Indulge in wacky physics-based combat, over-the-top violence and dark humour with a dash of platforming and points for being extra stylish and sadistic.

Build your city into the most powerful of all kingdoms through endless combinations of buildings, units, spells, and positioning. Take advantage of chaotic combos and powerful perks to break the game and become overpowered. Grow your kingdom in strategic ways, prepare for dozens of unique events, and show the world your kingdom can outlast all others.

From humble village to massive citadel, your capital recruits your units and grows their power. Expand your kingdom strategically over time and build it to survive decades of war and strife.

Early Access is also now live on Steam for Tales of Seikyu, an RPG/adventure/life sim from ACE Entertainment and Fireshine Games. A Deep Dive Trailer is here to immerse us in details about what to expect, and this post details the Early Access roadmap. There are also some Early Access Patch Notes, presumably for testers. Here's word on how this allows you to start a magical new life:

Settle into your magical new life in a world of Yokai! Harness your powers of transformation to manage your farm and explore the world, grow bonds with extraordinary islanders, and uncover the secrets of Seikyu. Adventure, magic and romance await in this enchanting farming life-sim!

Another game entering Early Access on Steam today is Garden of Witches, a "cute" action/roguelike from Team Tapas that carries a 20% launch discount for the next two weeks. The most recent video is the Official Teaser Trailer Ver.2 from a couple of months ago, putting the truth to the title, as it indeed depicts witches in gardens, as well as a little running with scissors to get your adrenaline pumping. Here's the official description:

Garden of Witches is a roguelike action game in which you have to round up a coven of unruly witches in order to halt the collapse of their garden home.

Enhance your arsenal of spells, and conquer each stage and boss with a new build every time, finding your own unique path to survival as you learn to read patterns and time your actions with perfection.

Team APOCA announces The Apocalypse, a sandbox survival/shooter coming to Steam with a "to be announced" release window. Despite the title, this is not set during the inevitable apocalypse. Rather it takes the road more travelled (apologies to both Cormac McCarthy and Robert Frost) to a post-apocalyptic setting. This involves the familiar mix of exploration, scavenging, crafting, and, of course, shooting. The Official Reveal Trailer shows off the admittedly low-poly, but "stylized" setting Here's word:

In The Apocalypse, players take on the role of a lone survivor navigating an open world filled with abandoned military outposts, hostile ruins, and mutant-infested zones. Scavenge resources, craft weapons, build shelters, and fight back against zombies and enemy factions—all while uncovering the truth behind the downfall of civilization.

Breaking from gritty realism, The Apocalypse adopts a bold low-poly art direction, using sharp shapes and saturated colors to create a visually striking take on a devastated world. Giant mutant creatures stalk polygonal ruins, rusting machinery lies dormant, and each shattered building piece adds to a unique post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

Toplitz Productions reveals Wild West General Store Simulator, which will offer another opportunity to take a job from an NPC when it launches on Steam later this year. This will allow you to stock shelves, sweep the floor, and presumably duck for cover when the inevitable gunfights ensue. The Announce Trailer shows off some shop-keeping thrills and chills and the announcement reveals you also get to be an interior decorator:

You’re not only the shopkeep, but also the decorator, when you take care of your day-to-day business tryin’ to keep your account afloat, the shelves stocked and the doors open. Wrangle inventory and deal with travellin’ traders and fellow peddlers to keep your source of income from runnin’ dry. Give your customers a shoppin’ experience finer than Miss Molly’s fried chicken - from when they enter your esteemed establishment to the final cling of the coin at the register. Happy customers will be back as sure as a fly on a cow pie.

• Haneda Girl on Steam (Windows). "Haneda Girl is an action-platformer game with brutal and frantic action. Clean stages swapping between two playable characters. Bullets or Slashes, your choice, but be creative. A wide variety of ways to solve each encounter are at your disposal. Dance the waltz of destruction, end the threat."
• Twilight Wars on Steam (Windows). "Twilight Wars is a tactical dungeon crawler set in a neon-drenched cyberpunk future. Corporations rule the world. Rebuild a shattered spy agency, assemble a team of elite operatives, and wage a covert war to reclaim the world from the shadows." Here's the Release Trailer.

• FIRE The First Dreamer on Steam (Windows). "Uncover ancient secrets, summon totemic magic, decode enigmatic messages, and explore the majestic Preseli mountains of Wales in this open world adventure inspired by a true story. Dare to embark on this journey and rediscover the lost secrets of a life lived with purpose and meaning!"
• Vampirates on Steam (Windows). "Wield and throw anything or anybody against hordes of zombies with your friends online. Survive and feed the almighty Otter god to stop his wrath!"

• Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000 - Announcement Trailer (Skulls 2025). Mobile game also coming to PC.

• After Light Fades Release Date Announcement Trailer. June 2oth.
• BRICKADIA 🧱 ✨- Early Access release date - July 11.
• Kejora - Release Date Trailer. September 4th.
• POPUCOM Release Time Confirmed! Pre-Orders Now Open. June 1st.

• Ubisoft Milan hiring 3D Animator and Game Designer for a "Rayman brand" AAA title - Reddit.
• Half-Life 3 Main Story Hook May Not Be Widely Appreciated - Rumor. Unconfirmed issues with unconfirmed project.

• Save 36% on Roboquest on Steam. Thanks Seivardian.

• nDreams CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh steps down after 19 years - GamesIndustry.biz.

Official patch.

• Starfield’s May Update is Now Live.

• Pets & Stuff - Available Now on Steam.

• American Truck Simulator - 2025 Trailer.
• Echoes of Dissent - AFK Journey - New Season Trailer. The opening character's boobs are satire, right?
• GUNSMITH SIMULATOR - FABRYKA BRONI DLC - RELEASE TRAILER.
• Pine Hearts - Official Trailer - Now part of the Secret Mode catalogue.
• Stronghold Crusader- Definitive Edition - Bigger Maps, Unit Counts and MORE.
• SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada - Season 2 PUNISHING LAND Trailer.
• Zenless Zone Zero - Version 2.0 Teaser "Where Clouds Embrace the Dawn."

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Star Citizen officially went too far... After making $800M.... Catching up to the fact that the game officially went too far a decade ago. Thanks The Flying Penguin.

• A conversation with Dave Grossman - Spillhistorie.no. The former LucasArts designer, not the murder simulator nut.
• Chrono Odyssey - Developer Interview #1 (translated video).

• The Nordic Game Awards 2025 Winners • Nordic Game 2025.

• Why console makers can legally brick your game console - Ars Technica. Thanks Seivardian.
• Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.0 launches on June 6 – PlayStation.Blog.
• Xbox Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring (2506.250521-0140) Update Preview Release Notes - Xbox Support. Thanks Console General.

• Verizon makes bold move to make it harder for customers to leave - TheStreet.
• An open letter to the Fairphone community. Thanks Reddit.

• 6 GHz Wi-Fi 'exhaustion' may soon slow Wi-Fi in apartments • The Register.

• President Trump threatens 25% tariff on iPhones, 50% on the entire EU - Tom's Hardware.
• DVDFab version 13.0.4.1 and StreamFab version 6.2.3.8. Thanks Console General.
• Kentucky’s Bitcoin Boom Has Gone Bust - WIRED (may require registration or subscription). Time to hop on the AI bandwagon.

• DOGE Used a Meta AI Model to Review Emails From Federal Workers - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed - BBC.
• Seagate suggests AI is causing a carbon crisis for the industry - Tom's Hardware.

• US local governments targeted by Chinese hackers - TechRadar.
• Oversharing online- 5 ways it makes you an easy target for cybercriminals - ZDNET.
• Same suspected Chinese spies again attacking Ivanti bugs • The Register.

• Suspects behind DanaBot that hit 300K computers named • The Register.

• Keyboard: MechLands M75 Review - APH Networks.
• Mouse: Corsair Scimitar Elite SE Wireless Review- A not-so-virtual virtual Stream Deck- - Tom's Hardware. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Well yesterday didn't go as I planned. My initial thought was I'd be able to sneak out for a movie matinee as I've recently discussed. I was targeting Thunderbolts*, for those in the forums who asked. This seems like a good example of something I'd have attended before I lapsed into stream everything mode (the pattern I'm hoping to break). But the schedule was different yesterday than Wednesday and today. The early showing was too early, and I decided against a later one to avoid conflicting with updating here. That turned out to be an extremely lucky decision, because I had no clue that yesterday's Warhammer Skulls 2025 showcase would warhammer us with so many announcements. But it sure did (as I imagine you have noticed). In fact, as noted in our Site Statistics, yesterday was the second highest number of news posts in a single day in almost 30 years of Blue's News! I definitely did not see that coming.

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

Breakfast Link

• Is this the AeroPress killer? I put OXO’s Rapid Brewer to the test - Tom's Guide. Only mentions plastic once (and not in the body of the review).

Stories

• Man in Norway wakes to find huge container ship in garden - BBC. Thanks brother19.
• The Treasury unveils its plan to kill the penny - CNN Business. No longer the worst offender. It costs almost 14 cents to mint a nickel.

Science

• New Studies Dismiss Signs of Life on Distant Planet - The New York Times (free account required).
• Scientists find rare double-star system where one star orbited inside the other - Space. It's no double rainbow, but it'll have to do.

Media

Thanks VideoSift.

• Gym fails.
• This kid is all of us right now 😂.
• The fact he didn’t see it is hilarious. About the oldest trick in the book.