Blue's News

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is now officially available for PC and consoles as a Standard or Vault Edition. We have a roundup of reviews for the new installment in the military shooter series. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304675/

During a panel discussion Valve music designer Mike Morasky mentioned "HLX," which is rumored to be a codename for Half-Life 3. This renews speculation that a long-awaited new installment in the FPS series is in development. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304648/

Windows games Sker Ritual and Home are now available for free on the Epic Games Store as its weekly giveaways. As always, these are yours to keep as long as you collect by next Thursday. At that point the store will launch a new giveaway for Sorry We're Closed. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304617/

EA shares a memo to staff outlining its priorities following today's layoff announcement. This mentions an unannounced shooter to be developed by Respawn and DICE. Variety reports "multiple sources" say this will be the long-rumored Star Wars Battlefront 3. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304593/

EA is closing BioWare and cancelling its next Mass Effect game as part of about 400 layoffs at the publisher. This news comes less than three months after the completion of the $55B acquisition of EA that many predicted would lead to cuts. More: bluesnews.com/s/304569/

Windows games Get Agent A and Bad Cheese are now both available for free on the Epic Games Store as its latest giveaways. These are for keeps if you claim them before next Thursday when the store will hand out free copies of Home and Sker Ritual. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304322/

Bloomberg reports that Epic is delaying a shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters, saying the developers are being instructed to use more AI. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney explains that the company is making a "huge pivot" towards AI. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304192/

Squadron 42 now has an official Steam Listing, which shows the same Q2 2027 release window set after the most recent delay to this single-player spinoff of planned MMOG Star Citizen. The game can be wishlisted on both Steam and the Squadron 42 Website. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304136/

The promised free weekend is now underway for ARC Raiders, giving PC and console gamers access to the full version of the extraction shooter between now and Monday. This is timed to give access to the new version 2.0 "Frozen Trail" update. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304091/

Core Keeper is holding a free weekend, allowing access to the full version of this Windows sandbox adventure between now and Monday. If you decide to pick it up after that it's on sale for 40% off. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/304066/

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is now available for PC and consoles, dropping the green flag on this racing game set in the Star Wars universe. It's also on Luna for Amazon Prime subscribers. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303939/

GOG.com is now handing out free copies of Bounty Train, a historical strategy game for Windows and macOS. This DRM-free game is for keeps if you claim it before the end of the weekend. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303842/

Windows games System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and BURIED STARS are currently free on the Epic Games Store. These are yours to keep if you claim them before Out of Sight and TerraScape arrive next week as the store's new giveaways. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303772/

Coffee Stain Studios announces Core Values, the first paid expansion for factory automation game Satisfactory. This will allow underground factories when it launches at a "to be announced" future date. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303720/

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered is now available for PC and consoles, offering an updated version of CD PROJEKT RED's classic fantasy RPG. This comes with a 50% discount, but is available at no addition cost to those who own the original version. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303679/

Bungie outlines plans to update Marathon by adding PvE content to the extraction shooter. A refresh is coming next month, followed by the first PvE mode in December, and an update in March to help tie everything together. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303531/

CONTROL Resonant is now out on PC and consoles, offering a sequel to Control, Remedy's paranormal action/RPG. This is available as a Standard or Deluxe Edition. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303505/

Microsoft announces it is closing Ninja Theory and reorganizing other studios while eliminating 268 more jobs as the next step in "resetting XBOX." Word is Activision will develop the next Halo game, while a pared-down Halo Studios will take on a support role. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303410/

Bungie discusses plans for changes to Marathon. It also announces it's backing off abandoning Destiny 2, saying it is now working on restoring vaulted content to the FPS sequel. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303386/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Jump Ship, allowing you to jump into this Early Access co-op space exploration game at no cost. This runs into Monday, and if you want to continue after that, the game is on sale for 40% off. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303279/

Get Mindcop and Shogun Showdown are now free on the Epic Games Store as its weekly giveaways. These Windows games are for keeps if you claim them before next week when the store starts handing out Astrea Six Sided Oracles and Mechabellum. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303252/

The Ubisoft Store is now handing out the Windows version of For Honor for free. This is for keeps as long as you snag the melee fighting game over the next two weeks. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303139/

Another free trial for Battlefield 6 is now available, offering a week to sample the military shooter on PC and consoles. The trial is being conducted through the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303117/

Signups are now underway for Steam Frame, Valve's virtual reality headset. Registrations will be randomized after Thursday, and some will end up on the waiting list as a result. There's a choice of a $1,059 USD 256GB kit or a $1,299 1TB kit. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303089/

Blizzard made several major announcements at BlizzCon today, including a STARCRAFT shooter, Diablo V, new heroes for Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm, and more. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/303017/

Borderlands 4 adds two new DLC packs and a big patch to update the looter shooter sequel. In addition the game can be played for free all weekend on PC and console. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302935/

This week's freebies on the Epic Games Store are Astral Ascent and Luftrausers. Both Windows games are for keeps as long as you snag them by next Thursday. After that the store will feature Mindcop and Shogun Showdown as its next giveaways. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302911/

Valheim has officially launched for PC and consoles, following five years of Early Access for this exploration/survival game from Iron Gate and Coffee Stain. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302857/

GOG.com is giving way PC sci-fi adventure State of Mind as part of its back-to-school sale. This DRM-free game is for keeps if you snag it by midday Thursday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302775/

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sid Meier's Civilization VII, Firaxis announces an Earthrise expansion for the strategy game, as well as a free content update called Arc of Tomorrow. But first up is a version 1.5.0 update that will arrive later this month. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302749/

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is out for PC and consoles, offering the latest installment in the samurai series. It's available as a Standard, Deluxe, or Premium Deluxe Edition. The playable demo remains available, and there's a PC benchmark to vet your system. More. www.bluesnews.com/s/302675/

Alone With You is now available for free on the Epic Games Store as this week's giveaway. It's yours for keeps as long as you snag it before next week when the two new giveaways will be Astral Ascent and Luftrausers. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302651/

A configuration problem on Steam has publically leaked a 12TB trove of data from Valve games and projects from 2003-2013. This includes a weapon from the never-completed Half-Life 2 Episode 3 and an early build of Portal 2. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302450/

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta is now underway, offering the promised open access to testing of the military first-person shooter. This includes the chance to earn rewards for the full game. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302415/

CIG announces the release of Squadron 42 is delayed to Q2 2027 after being expected this year. It's said this is to avoid competing with the GTA6 console launch, even though it's a PC game. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302371/

Breathedge for Windows and Rival Stars Horse Racing for Windows and macOS are now free on the Epic Games Store as this week's giveaways. You have a week to snag them for keeps before the next freebie goes live, which will be Alone With You. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302348/

CD PROJEKT RED announces The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is coming next month. It's a free upgrade if you own the original game. It also announces all Witcher 3 owners are now entitled to the RPG's first two DLC for free. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302249/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for FRONT MISSION 3: Remake, the tactical RPG for Windows. You can play for free until Monday, and if you want to pick it up, the game is on sale, and your progress will carry over. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302085/

Cardpocalypse and a free item bundle for Albion Online are now available for free on the Epic Games Store as its weekly giveaways. They're for keeps as long as you snag them by next Thursday when the new giveaways will be Breathedge and Rival Stars Horse Racing. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/302002/

Remedy Entertainment announces completion of development of CONTROL Resonant. The now-gold action/RPG sequel is set for its September 24th launch, though physical editions won't arrive until October. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301914/

Famed videogame developer Warren Spector announces he's retiring at age 70. The designer of System Shock, Deus Ex, Thief, and more says "never say never" about coming back, but "I'm pretty sure I mean it." More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301888/

GSC Game World announces Back to the Zone - Update 2.0 for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will arrive on August 20th. This will bring a new game engine for its "biggest overhaul" ever. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301750/

Caravan SandWitch is now free on the Epic Games Store. This puts you on a road trip to locate your missing sister. It's yours to keep if you snag it by next Thursday when the store will start handing out free copies of Cardpocalypse and an Albion Online bundle. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301702/

Rockstar Games announces an "extended look" showcase for Grand Theft Auto VI will launch on August 27th. This promotion for the open-world crime sequel will have six hours of exclusivity on Netflix, which speaks to the mainstream appeal of the GTA series. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301395/

Star Trek Legends is shutting down on month from today, bringing an end to this trekkie action/adventure that debuted on Apple Arcade. It launched on PC two years ago, and Emerald City Games and Tilting Point are not providing refunds. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301270/

OTXO and Sol Cesto are now free on the Epic Games Store as its latest giveaways. These Windows games are for keeps as long as you collect by next Thursday. At that point Beacon Pines and We Were Here Together will be the new freebies. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301108/

Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand is now available for Windows PC. This is a standalone release based on Company of Heroes 3 that features wave-based defense in a World War II setting. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301078/

505 Games announces plans a sequel to WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, last year's hit soulslike action/RPG. There are no details or even a title yet. But there are indications this will be created by the original development team, despite reports it was disbanded. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/301057/

An open beta test is underway for Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, focusing on cross-platform multiplayer support for this military shooter. The test spans PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series between now and Monday to help finalize plans for the game's August 13th launch. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/300863/

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Killing Floor 3 to celebrate a content update for the FPS. This is one of four current free weekends, as everyone can also check out METAL GEAR SOLID, Wild Assault, and ICARUS for free until Monday. More: www.bluesnews.com/s/300837