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Climate hopes shift from politics to the courts

The political fight against global warming may be losing steam, but the legal battle is heating up.

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Oct 8 • 11:03 PM EDT • Politics • france24.com
Climate hopes shift from politics to the courts

The political fight against global warming may be losing steam, but the legal battle is...

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Oct 8 • 10:04 PM EDT • Politics • afp.com
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls' Future Already Looks Bleak

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls' has dipped into three-figure player counts on Steam, and it's less-than-impressive sales numbers are likely to blame

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Sep 20 • 1:31 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Supermassive Lays Off 70 People Less Than Six Months After Releasing Its New Sci-Fi Horror Game

Directive 8020 was met with mixed reviews on Steam

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Oct 5 • 5:46 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Steam's achievements rework looks great

PC gaming platform Steam has responded to Xbox's recent Mythic achievement rework with a revamp of its own, and it has some ideas Xbox might want to consider.

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Oct 17 • 7:00 AM EDT • Technology • trueachievements.com
‘Squadron 42’ Release Nears as Wishlist Opens on Steam From Cloud Imperium

Cloud Imperium Games’ “Squadron 42” is now available to wishlist on Steam ahead of its planned Q2 2027 release.

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Oct 10 • 11:00 AM EDT • Technology • variety.com
Tuesday ‘Dawg Bites Won’t Fumble In The Endzone

Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! We’ve entered that limbo period where certain fanbases are still basking in the glow of Saturdays victory, and others are still steaming from a frustrating loss that exposed expectations like telephone poles in winter when the kudzu dies off. Clemson has had as many lightning delays as rushing touchdowns this […]

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Sep 22 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Science in action: Grand Teton Council invites community to annual STEM-A-RAMA event

IDAHO FALLS — The Grand Teton Council of Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) invites community members to a free annual event to see science in action and get hands-on with STEM careers this Saturday. Since 2019, the annual STEM-A-RAMA event has brought numerous organizations together in one location, allowing local youth to […]

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Sep 25 • 7:28 PM EDT • Science • eastidahonews.com
Squadron 42 opens for Steam wishlisting ahead of a planned Q2 2027 release

Cloud Imperium's single-player space epic Squadron 42, starring Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman, is now on Steam for wishlisting ahead of a Q2 2027 release.

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Oct 11 • 7:43 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Arts and Science Color the Outdoors

San Joaquin County students experience arts and science in the mountains at Sky Mountain Outdoor Education Center at the Color the Outdoors STEAM camp.

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Sep 28 • 7:18 PM EDT • Science • sjcoe.org
5th cruise terminal negotiations moving full steam ahead

Negotiations for a fifth cruise terminal at Pier 14 are moving forward with the full support of the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees. At its Sept. 22 meeting, the wharves

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Oct 2 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • galvnews.com
Moonlighter dev delays Steam playtest for its "Tower Defensevania" ReVamp over concerns that AI copycats might clone it before launch

Digital Sun has delayed a planned Steam playtest for ReVamp due to "games being reverse-engineered, cloned and published before the original."

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Oct 19 • 3:54 PM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Detroit Lions Trade Target Gaining Steam as Deadline Approaches

Detroit Lions trade speculation surrounding Zyon McCollum is growing. A new assessment reveals what Tampa Bay might demand before November 10.

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Oct 16 • 9:51 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Steam's 2026 Autumn Sale 2026 Is Live With Up to 90% Off AAA and Indie Favorites, Plus Even More Major Price Drops for the Biggest Games of the Year So Far

The Steam Autumn Sale 2026 is officially live. What games are you picking up?

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Oct 2 • 11:23 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Valve's Poker Face Around the Steam Deck 2 Is Finally Starting to Crack

Valve’s next-gen handheld could run the ‘Gainsborough’ chip, and only nerds will understand the significance.

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Oct 1 • 10:10 AM EDT • Technology • gizmodo.com
Arc Raiders' 2.0 Update and 'Spider-Man' Grappling Hook Drive Player Count to Reach 7-Month High

The new Arc Raiders 2.0 update has triggered a seven-month high for its concurrent player count on Steam as fans show up for its "Spider-Man" grappling hook, a new map, a free weekend, and more.

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Oct 10 • 5:07 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Steam Next Fest Has Become A Massive Disaster And A Grim Look At The Future

The vibes are rotten this time around as Next Fest features thousands of AI slop demos

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Oct 20 • 2:36 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Gets a Warm Steam Welcome With 90% Positive Reviews

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is off to an unusually good start on Steam. The campaign early access went live for pre-order customers on October 16, and at the time of writing, 1,630 of the game's 1,812 Steam user reviews are positive, giving it a "Very Positive" score of 90%. Insider Gaming...

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Oct 17 • 8:05 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
Wisconsin Science Festival returns with free STEAM events

The 16th Wisconsin Science Festival returns with more than 800 events planned throughout the state through Oct. 25 at venues such as museums, libraries and schools.

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Oct 15 • 7:00 AM EDT • Science • wmtv15news.com
New Steam Update Puts Startup Times Back Ahead of Epic's Vibe-Coded Launcher

Epic Games released a preview of its rebuilt, "vibe coded" Epic Games Launcher on October 14, and took a direct shot at Steam while at it. Epic's own chart shows the new launcher cold starting in 5.47 seconds against 10.07 seconds for Steam, which the company bills as 46% faster. That lead...

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Oct 15 • 11:14 AM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
Gears Of War: E-Day Smashes Steam Record And Earns Xbox Series S Praise In First 24 Hours

Strong start

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Oct 2 • 9:30 AM EDT • Technology • purexbox.com
Villion: Code launches January 26, 2027 in the west

Compile Heart-developed action RPG Villion: Code will launchfor PlayStation 5, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on January 26, 2027 in the west, publisher Idea Factory Internationa…

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Oct 20 • 12:01 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Following id layoffs, Quake Champions drops free-to-play nonsense and becomes a £9 game on Steam

Quake Champions is no long a free-to-play game. Following the layoffs at id Software, the game has become a premium release on Steam.

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Sep 24 • 5:19 AM EDT • Technology • rockpapershotgun.com
Kona Destroys You Like No Other Ironman. We’ve Got the Receipts to Prove It.

From muscle micro-tears and brain fog to gut distress, science explains why racing - or even watching - the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii leaves you utterly steamrolled for days.

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Oct 11 • 11:54 AM EDT • Science • triathlete.com
Ace Combat 8 is far and away the series' biggest launch on Steam

Despite releasing in a busy period, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has already set new records for the flight action series.

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Oct 5 • 7:02 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Anime Gambling Horror Game Ditches Free Steam Demo Over Fears Of Getting Ripped Off By AI

Drunken Goddess Reflux will have a closed beta instead

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Oct 16 • 2:30 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Minnesota Vikings Trade Steam Picking Up Early

The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 with three weeks until the trade deadline, and the trade chatter continues to grow louder.

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Oct 20 • 1:47 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
How well have past GOTY winners sold?

We’re less than two months away from 2026’s The Game Awards, and what a year it’s been for fantastic games, including Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Slay the Spire II, the Blood of Dawnwalker, and Control Resonant – just to name a few. So as we approach the end of the year, we thought we’d look back on our estimates for the GOTY winners of the past four years. In terms of revenue, Elden Ring (2022 winner), Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023), Astro Bot (2024), and Expedition 33 (2025) have generated a combined $3.8B via 73M copies sold: Let’s have a look, then. Elden Ring has generated $2B in revenue Elden Ring is a phenomenon in every sense. It’s sold a whopping 36.4M copies across Steam (50%), PS5 (35%), and Xbox (15% across console and PC). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring also just passed an astronomical milestone: $2B in revenue. While PlayStation and Xbox account for half of Elden Ring’s copies sold across these three platforms, they account for 57.5% of revenue. This – as ever – is due to regional pricing and the higher relative share of PC gamers in lower-priced markets. For example, around 17.4% of Elden Ring’s Steam copies sold were in China, where the game costs about 26% less than the price in the States. There’s an … interesting narrative going around these days that console gamers are only interested in ball-and-gun games and have the patience for little else. Well, Elden Ring’s impressive sales prove that is simply not true, and across all platforms. What’s more, over 9.8M people have played Elden Ring for over 100 hours, with nearly 3.5M people getting all of the achievements and trophies. For reference, 10.9% of Elden Ring’s PlayStation players have the platinum trophy, while 10.5% of players on Steam and 3.9% of Xbox players unlocked all the achievements. Git gud, Xbox players! Of the 1.5M people who played Elden Ring on PlayStation last month, 4% also played Dark Souls 3 last month, 4% played Bloodborne, and 3% played Sekiro. There’s those Soulsborne diehards for you. By many accounts, including my own, Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time. It’s an evergreen seller that will continue to be a cash cow for Bandai and FromSoftware for years to come. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring has sold another 2M copies across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox this year, generating almost $110M. This means it’s outperforming many of this year’s high-profile releases. Even Elden Ring’s standalone run-based PvE spinoff, 2025’s Nightreign, has sold 7.8M copies and generated $282M in revenue. Baldur’s Gate 3 is another billion-dollar-plus banger Another cross-platform phenomenon is Baldur’s Gate 3, which has sold 23.2M copies and generated over $1.2B in revenue. About 18.7M of these copies (80.6%) are via Steam, 2.9M via PS5 (12.7%), and 1.6M (6.8%) via Xbox. Around 1.3M folks on Steam bought BG3 before it hit 1.0. The PlayStation version launched about a month after the PC 1.0 release, while the Xbox version came four months later due to technical issues around developing local co-op on the Series S. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Across platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3’s monthly active users have never dropped below 2M, including 2.2M MAUs last month (68.5% on Steam, 21.9% on PS5, and 9.6% on Xbox). And it still regularly brings in 280K to 400K players every day: About 1% of BG3’s Steam player base has played for over 500 hours! That’s a little under 200K people. Astro Bot is also an evergreen seller, albeit a more niche, family one Astro Bot, 2024’s winner, has now sold 4.7M copies and generated $291M in revenue. The budget, including marketing, is almost certainly under $100M, given the small Japan-based core team and three-year dev timeline. You can really see why the tides are changing toward less expensive hubs. Astro Bot is the only first-party winner on this list, but follows other first-party winners of The Last of Us Part II (2020’s winner), God of War (2018), and Breath of the Wild (2017). Around 46.6% of Astro Bot’s copies sold have been physical, which is far higher than the typical game. This makes sense for a couple of reasons: There’s a large family audience for this one, and physical boxes are an item to wrap when giving Astro as a gift. Astro has collector value for the PlayStation core (this is nostalgia-fueled platformer celebrating PlayStation’s history) Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Astro is another one of those games that continues selling over time, regularly selling more than 100K a month. It’s sold around 1M more copies this year ($60M in revenue) and is a popular title with families. We can see this using the Alinea platform’s MAU crossover tool: Astro Bot’s top #2, #3, and #4 games by crossover in any given month this year are Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox – without fail. The #1 title every month, though, is Astro’s Playroom, a pack-in with all PS5 consoles. For every month this year, between 20% and 30% of Astro Bot players also played Astro’s Playroom that month. So the free pack-in is a noice funnel for converting players to a full paid product. Expedition 33 sells 8.7M despite Game Pass cannibalisation Finally, we have last year’s winner – Expedition 33. The turn-based-RPG banger has generated $366M via 8.7M copies sold, with 58.8% on Steam, 35.7% on PS5, and 5.5% on Xbox. Xbox’s share of copies sold is this low due to Expedition 33 launching on Game Pass, where 4.3M people across console and PC accessed the game. A little under 700K Xbox players used their subscription to play Expedition 33 this year. That said, the game’s 1.5-year Game Pass deal ended last week on October 16, and we’re already beginning to see a positive trend on Expedition 33’s copies sold via Xbox (but the jury’s still out!). There’s understandably a lot of French pride behind this one, as France is the game’s #3 market on both Steam and PlayStation. Vive la France! One thing that stood out to me is that the GOTY winners aren’t $300M Hollywood productions made in the US. They’re mostly mid-budget studios outside the traditional AAA cost centres. Lots to think about there. Also, good games sell well; who’d have thunk it!? And there’s a whole load of them this year, with GTA 6 still to come, too. GTA just made the cutoff point for the VGAs this year. What a coincidence! Loading... Cool links and other stuff Our physical games newsletter from Tuesday was picked up by GameSpot, Eurogamer, TweakTown, and a bunch of others. We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply right here on Substack/email, and we’ll set you up. Next week, we’ve got some exciting news regarding the future of our newsletter, so stay tuned! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. Want to see why these companies (and many others) are subscribed to Alinea? Get a free platform trial! [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

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Oct 22 • 1:02 PM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
Wisconsin Science Festival returns with free STEAM events

Wisconsin Science Festival returns with free STEAM events

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Oct 15 • 9:55 AM EDT • Science • wmtv15news.com
Steam Deck 2: Is AMD Gainsborough the chip Valve’s been waiting for?

Reason to be hopeful, reason to be skeptical.

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Oct 1 • 2:52 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
Steam Next Fest October 2026 Features Over 40 PC VR Demos

The final Steam Next Fest of 2026 is live, with over 40 PC VR demos available, and we have the full rundown.

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Oct 19 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • uploadvr.com
Samsung just released Android 17 updates for Galaxy S23 and several more devices

Samsung’s Android 17-based One UI 9 update continues to pick up steam, with several more Galaxy devices joining the fray....

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Oct 15 • 9:50 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com
Players Are Furious About Total War: Shogun 2's AI-Upscaled 'Enhanced' Edition

Steam users say it runs worse, looks worse, adds more bugs, and clearly used genAI to enlarge the artwork

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Oct 14 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Millions return to The Witcher 3 as the Remastered game records another Steam personal best and sales skyrocket

CD Projekt Red's overhaul of The Witcher 3 is pulling players back in their millions, while also attracting plenty of new ones.

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Oct 5 • 7:17 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Squadron 42 Storms Onto Steam With Surprisingly Low Minimum PC Requirements, but Fans Still Face a Wait Until Q2 2027

Cloud Imperium Games has opened Squadron 42's Steam page and released a new trailer, while some fans and content creators played the game.

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Oct 10 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
Sega Pulls Disastrous Total War: Shogun 2 Remaster From Sale Following Backlash

Creative Assembly and Sega have pulled Total War: Shogun 2 — Complete Edition from Steam after a raft of complaints about the quality of the remaster.

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Oct 15 • 11:09 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Book Review: ‘Luna, Phoenix, Queen,’ by Julie Orringer

In Julie Orringer’s novel “Luna, Phoenix, Queen,” a husband discovers his ailing wife’s secret, steamy manuscript — and co-opts it as his own.

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Oct 12 • 5:00 AM EDT • Technology • nytimes.com
Devs Of Needle In A Haystack Clone Angry It's Been Cloned By AI

The developers of the Needle In A Haystack Simulator clone accused another clone of being a 'byte-for-byte identical' rip-off of their work

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Oct 18 • 11:12 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Players on Steam so far seem delighted with Modern Warfare 4's campaign, making it one of the most well-received Call of Dutys in recent history

Modern Warfare 4 may signal Call of Duty's return to form, at least judging by player sentiment on Steam so far.

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Oct 19 • 4:36 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
AI game clones are making indie developers afraid to show their work

Delayed Steam Next Fest demo is a sign of a growing problem for indie devs.

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Oct 19 • 12:59 PM EDT • Technology • arstechnica.com
RCPS seeks funds to expand science labs, STEAM education

CONYERS — Rockdale County Public Schools could receive up to $1 million to expand elementary science labs and arts education through a state tax credit initiative, as district officials work

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Oct 19 • 6:16 AM EDT • Science • rockdalecitizen.com
Controversial Total War Remaster Being Delisted From Steam After AI Allegations

'Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition' is being delisted from digital storefronts after fan outcry.

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Oct 15 • 11:56 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
For the second time this year, Steam has set a major new concurrent user record

Steam has crossed the 43 million threshold for concurrent users, setting a new record for the PC platform.

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Oct 12 • 6:35 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Buffalo Museum of Science unveils new STEAM activities for WNY sports fans

Buffalo Museum of Science unveils new STEAM activities for WNY sports fans

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Sep 24 • 6:14 PM EDT • Science • wivb.com
Epic is bringing Fortnite to Linux

That could include Valve’s SteamOS.

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Oct 14 • 9:54 AM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
Free ‘STEAM the Block Party' aims to get DC youth involved in science, tech, arts

Drones, robotics, AI and more: The Steam the Block Party in Southeast D.C. on Friday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. aims to spark a love of science. Members of the Swaliga Foundation talk with News4’s Molette Green. Performers include UCB.

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Oct 7 • 1:44 PM EDT • Science • nbcwashington.com
Steam Pricing Analyst Found Hollow Knight: Silksong's $20 Price Annoying: 'I Was A Bit Like, Oh God, Please Price It Higher'

Indie devs are facing tighter pricing pressures than ever

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Oct 22 • 2:00 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
The Steam Autumn Sale Has Deals On Resident Evil Requiem And 007 First Light

Bye-bye, money.

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Oct 1 • 2:37 PM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure

The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.

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Oct 13 • 10:08 PM EDT • Science • kitv.com
Commentary: The Trump train runs out of steam

The Donald Trump who took the stage in Mobile on Friday was a far cry from the Trump who packed Ladd-Pebbles Stadium in 2015.

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Oct 6 • 5:57 AM EDT • Politics • alabamareflector.com
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)

The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.

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Sep 28 • 4:13 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
Honolulu kids explore science and art at YMCA's STEAM Camp

The YMCA of Honolulu's fall break "Mission to Mars" camp at St. Patrick's School gave students a hands-on way to explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math — with the

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Oct 13 • 3:10 PM EDT • Science • kitv.com
Epic throws shade at Steam, admits to vibe-coding the new Epic Games Launcher with AI "to be faster than the other guy"

Days after pushing an AI-first game development pipeline, Epic has vibe coded the Epic Games Launcher in an effort to outrun Steam.

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Oct 14 • 2:17 PM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
STEAM dreams: Children discover science, creativity and hands-on fun as iMAGINE Festival fills Uptown Greenwood

Giant bubbles floated through the air, robots whirred to life and children became scientists, engineers and artists for a day Saturday as the iMAGINE STEAM Festival took over a large

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Oct 20 • 3:00 AM EDT • Science • indexjournal.com
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother launches March 18, 2027

Mystery solving adventure game The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC via Steam on March 18, 2027 worldwide, publisher Koei Tecmo…

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Oct 21 • 4:05 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
As Resident Evil Requiem Passes $500m Revenue, Analysis Shows 8.6% Sales Were on Xbox, With Remaining 91% Shared Between PS5 and Steam

Resident Evil Requiem sold just 8.6% of its copies on Xbox, new sales analysis indicates.

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Sep 25 • 12:17 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
U.S. Presidents Cup Team Gets Steamrolled In Stunning Friday Sweep

The International Team flipped the Presidents Cup on Friday, sweeping all five Foursomes matches to seize a 7-3 lead over the United States at Medinah.

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Sep 26 • 7:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
YMCA camp in Honolulu turns fall break into a science adventure

The YMCA of Honolulu wrapped up "STEAM Camp" over fall break, teaching students important science skills. The camp is a place where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math engage students.

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Oct 14 • 12:58 AM EDT • Science • kitv.com
A Major Labor Boom in CNY? Not Here Yet

With so many major projects going on — Micron, I-81 viaduct and others — job growth is predicted to increase. But so far the number of jobs in the region has declined By Aaron Gifford [caption id=attachment_11065 align=alignright width=350] Amy Stage, deputy director at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY): “For us, the conversation isn’t just about filling jobs. It’s about creating sustainable pathways that help people see a future for themselves in manufacturing.”[/caption] The I-81 viaduct project in Syracuse and Micron facility construction in Clay are expected to create a major labor boom for Central New York. But for the time being, the number of jobs here has actually decreased in the past year. The New York State Department of Labor reported that, for the annual comparison of June 2025 to this past June, private sector jobs decreased by 2,200 or less than 1% to 260,000. Job gains were concentrated in leisure and hospitality (+700), private education and health services (+400) and other services (+300). Job losses for that annual period were reported in the areas of trade, transportation and utilities (-1,500); professional and business services (-1,000); financial activities (-500); mining, logging and construction (-300); manufacturing (-200); and information (-100). The public sector job count rose over 12 months, with most growth concentrated in education, the state Department of Labor reported. Looking ahead, the Central New York economy is expected to benefit from both the Micron and I-81 viaduct projects over a period of several years. Initial job growth is foreseen in construction and computer and electronic manufacturing. Spin-off jobs will be created in the areas of professional and business services, health care and education, the state Department of Labor said in an email response to Oswego County Business magazine. “Population growth tied to the buildout of Micron Technology semiconductor complex in Clay is also expected to bring more workers and residents to the region, increasing demand for transportation services,” the agency said. New York Department of Labor highlighted current or projected job growth trends in various sectors. An increase in defense-related contracts at local high-tech employers has continued to support employment growth in the computer and electronic product manufacturing sector and Micron is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs as the project progresses. This sector paid an annual average wage of $117,500 in 2025 and employment in the sector is projected to grow by over 60% through 2032, making it the fastest-growing industry in the region. Typical occupations in this industry include electrical, electronic and electromechanical assemblers, software developers and industrial engineers, the state agency reported. Specialty trade contractors include several different types of tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) mechanics and installers. Many of these positions are trained through apprenticeships, the state Department of Labor reported. The Interstate 81 construction project is generating local jobs, including construction laborers, projected to grow at a 6.4% rate, and operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, projected to grow at a 7.3% rate over the next several years. Construction of the Micron Technology facility is also “creating thousands of job opportunities that will continue over the next two decades,” the state agency reported. The specialty trade contractors sector paid an annual average wage of $86,200 in 2025. For Central New York, the challenge isn’t creating jobs, it’s filling them. Amy Stage, a deputy director at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), said meeting this unprecedented growth is a much larger task than just replacing retirees. “We’re seeing workforce gaps at every experience level,” she said. “Companies need entry-level employees, experienced technicians, supervisors, engineers and skilled trades professionals. The opportunity is tremendous, but we need more people entering these career pathways.” Employers are looking for people who can troubleshoot, read technical information, use computers and learn new processes, not just perform repetitive production work, Stage said. To address this demand, the MACNY created the Manufacturers Talent Institute, which aims to connect students and job seekers with meaningful career pathways while helping employers build their workforce. Twenty-one companies have so far signed up to provide opportunities for more than 800 students. “For us, the conversation isn’t just about filling jobs,” Stage said. “It’s about creating sustainable pathways that help people see a future for themselves in manufacturing.” Several manufacturing facilities in the region are in the midst of expansion: • TTM Technologies, a leading U.S. manufacturer of advanced electronics and interconnect solutions for aerospace, defense and high-technology markets, which has a plant in DeWitt, completed its buildout of an additional facility, adding 400 jobs and expanding production of high-tech circuit boards for defense and critical electronics applications. • In Cortlandville, the Byrne Hollow Crossing Plant, a dairy manufacturing and processing facility, is increasing its operations, creating 100 new jobs. • The Chobani yogurt company is building a 1.4-million square foot dairy processing facility in Oneida County. This will create more than 1,000 good-paying jobs and double Chobani’s New York state workforce, Stage said. Stage noted several ways that local, state and federal governments can help spur manufacturing job growth in this region. Elected leaders and public agencies could work with industry representatives to create pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs seeking to upskill workers and improve employee retention. New York state has a variety of grants, tax incentives and financing programs to support site preparation, infrastructure, workforce development and capital investment. The U.S. Department of Labor has a pay-for-performance incentive program that provides employers $3,500 per new apprentice hired and retained for 90 days. MACNY was previously awarded an $87,000 federal grant that will cover 25 apprentices at nine companies. The manufacturing skills gap in the United States, at its current rate, could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. In New York state, that gap is on pace to exceed 100,000 unfilled positions within six years. Manufacturing companies will be counting on more women to help fill that gap. While women make up half of the overall U.S. workforce, they only account for 29% of the manufacturing workforce in this country, Stage said. “Pre-apprenticeship programs like Real Life Rosies help to bring awareness to the manufacturing industry to fill some of the gaps, but we have a long way to go and it starts with educating people at younger ages about careers in manufacturing and earn-and-learn opportunities,” she said. As for Micron, that $100 billion-plus project, considered the largest private investment in New York state history, is expected to eventually create up to 50,000 jobs throughout the region, factoring in the spin-off opportunities for construction and supply chains. The plant’s foundation was poured on July 9. “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, data and memory are foundational to the modern economy — and Micron is increasing our U.S. investments to more than $250 billion through 2035 to meet that moment,” the company’s president and CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra, said in a news release. Bechtel, Micon’s construction partner in the project, reported that 4,500 people will be employed to help build the facility, including skilled craft professionals, local union members representing various trades and apprentices. The Syracuse-based CenterState CEO organization tallies the regional labor force at 397,582 workers (Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Oswego counties). Job growth isn’t limited to the Central New York region. For the larger area covering portions of the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern tier, and the western part of the state, there are 155,601 employees in the advanced manufacturing sector, and 155,275 construction workers. The agency’s 2026 Economic Forecast report noted that 41% of community and business leaders surveyed said a shortage of skilled workers in this area remains a problem, though 77% shared a positive economic outlook for the year ahead. Beyond the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing areas, local business leaders also see growth in small manufacturing companies, storage businesses, housing, unmanned flight technology and general construction. “Productive reuse of property,” the report said, “will hopefully continue to preserve unique architecture while driving business.” The report identified several challenges for economic growth in the region, including an aging workforce, outdated equipment, the rising cost of raw materials and “the disconnect between the speed of business needs and the pace of talent readiness.”

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Oct 14 • 8:23 AM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com
Strategic Entertainment Announces Chase The King, A Chess Variant Where Players Start 1v1 And Earn Pieces By

100 Kings To Defeat, One Cursed Chess Board To Take The Crown. Coming To Steam and other PC Stores in November. Demo Now Available.

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Oct 22 • 4:58 PM EDT • Entertainment • einpresswire.com
Steampunk Media, LTD: 2026 Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards
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Oct 16 • 5:58 PM EDT • Science • televisionacademy.com
Modern Warfare 4 Emerges to Best Call of Duty Steam Rating in a Decade

Modern Warfare 4 is the highest-rated Call of Duty game to hit Steam in over a decade, but will that persist when multiplayer gets here?

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Oct 17 • 8:49 AM EDT • Technology • insider-gaming.com
Gears of War: E-Day - Surviving the First Night of Emergence

Today marks the worldwide launch of Gears of War: E-Day, now available on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, Game Pass and Steam. One of XBOX’s most iconic sagas returns to where it all began, taking players back to the opening hours of Emergence Day and the catastrophic event that changed the world of Sera […]

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Oct 6 • 11:00 AM EDT • Technology • news.xbox.com
Sakura Wars 30th anniversary – ‘Sakura Wars 6’ plot exists, SEGA wants to bring series to modern platforms, more

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu features a massive interview with the creators of steampunk strategy RPG series Sakura Wars in celebration of its 30th anniversary, revealing the existence of a p…

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Sep 30 • 3:12 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Arc Raiders player-numbers rebound with the launch of Frozen Trail and the game's 2.0 release, but they might be deceptively high

Arc Raiders' 2.0 update and Frozen Trail expansion have caused the game's Steam player numbers to surge again.

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Oct 12 • 10:20 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Steam's Giant Autumn Sale Is Officially Here To Destroy Everyone's Wallet

Valve's PC gaming platform is brimming with discounts on major new releases and old classics players can enjoy on top-of-the-line rigs and Steam Deck

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Oct 1 • 2:20 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Analyst Argues Gears of War: E-Day Shouldn't Have Been Cancelled on PS5 After 'Soft' Steam Pre-Orders

"Gears isn't necessarily a console-seller anymore"

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Sep 30 • 12:45 PM EDT • Technology • pushsquare.com
Gears of War: E-Day Launches to Modest Reviews and 31,500 Peak Steam Players

Gears of War: E-Day, the origin story of the long-running Gears of War franchise, launched on Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass, and, although Microsoft has been building hype for the new Gears game for several months leading up to launch day, the game's launch performance on Steam is less than stellar....

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Oct 7 • 7:55 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
SURI: The Seventh Note launches October 30

PlayStation India Hero Project-supported rhythm action platformer SURI: The Seventh Note will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam on October 30 for $19.99 / £15.99 / €19.99 / ¥3,190, develope…

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Sep 28 • 9:10 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Tales of Eternia Remastered Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, Switch 1, and ROG Ally impressions

Our Tales of Eternia Remastered portable comparison covers Switch 1 vs Switch 2, Steam Deck recommended settings, ROG Ally impressions, load times, and more.

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Oct 14 • 11:10 AM EDT • Technology • rpgsite.net
Windgate Foundation gives $1.5 million to University of Arkansas

Little Rock-based Windgate Foundation recently gave $1.5 million to the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas to establish the Windgate Endowed Chair in STEAM Education....

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Oct 15 • 5:07 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net
The Last of Us Day Reveals Ghost of Yotei Collab Content and Ambience Video as Fans Beg Naughty Dog for TLOU 3

Naughty Dog has revealed it's celebrating The Last of Us Day 2026 with Ghost of Yotei content, player avatars on PlayStation and Steam, and an hour-long ambience video as fans continue begging for any updates on The Last of Us Part 3.

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Sep 28 • 1:59 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Yampa Valley Community Foundation fills $110K mental health gap for Steamboat students

The Yampa Valley Community Foundation has closed a $110,000 gap in the Steamboat Springs School District for school-based mental health services, ensuring the district can maintain all contracted mental health providers through the 2026-27 academic...

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Sep 27 • 12:48 PM EDT • Health • steamboatpilot.com
Huge Deadlock Update Propels Valve's MOBA Hero Shooter to the Top of the Steam Charts, Smashes Peak Concurrent Player Record

Valve has issued a huge update to its in-development MOBA hero shooter Deadlock, propelling it to the top of Steam’s most-played games chart.

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Sep 30 • 4:49 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Democrats are gaining steam in some red states, according to Cook Political Report
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Sep 25 • 12:38 PM EDT • Politics • yahoo.com
Which is the best version of Dragon Quest XI S? Switch 2, PC, PS4, Xbox, PS5, Steam Deck, & AYN Thor compared

We compare Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition launches for Switch 2 on September 24

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Sep 24 • 7:59 AM EDT • Technology • rpgsite.net
NIU STEAM Cafe to explore special effects science

The free cafe will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at Fatty’s Pub and Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb. Food and beverages will be available to buy from Fatty’s.

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Oct 6 • 2:37 PM EDT • Science • shawlocal.com
You can now buy more than 2,000 games for $5 or less on Steam

That's right: The 2026 Steam Autumn Sale is live.

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Oct 1 • 1:21 PM EDT • Technology • pcgamer.com
'Verity' puts Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett in a steamy Colleen Hoover thriller

Anne Hathaway stars in “Verity,” a psychological thriller where trust is elusive | KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM

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Sep 29 • 2:05 PM EDT • Entertainment • audacy.com
Steam Fans Are Begging for a No-AI Filter as Steam Next Fest Is Filled With Slop

Steam Next Fest, Valve's festival for indie games and demos, started earlier today, and while there are usually a ton of low-effort games, there seems to be more than usual this time around.

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Oct 19 • 5:38 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
New Plugin Allows Us To Turn Our Steam Deck Into a PSP, PS5, or Xbox 360

A new plugin for the Steam Deck allows us to change Game Mode to different console interfaces, making it feel like a PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, and more.

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Oct 11 • 11:50 AM EDT • Technology • steamdeckhq.com
Ace Combat 8 developer apologises for Belkan War pre-order backlash, explains why it happened and vows to explore possible solutions

The team behind Ace Combat 8 has issued a statement in response to the controversy surrounding the game's pre-order bonus game, The Belkan War.

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Oct 1 • 9:55 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Fresno Discover Center partnership brings STEAM activities to Fresno students

The Fresno Discovery Center is expanding access to science through a partnership with Fresno Unified School District's after-school programs.

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Oct 12 • 7:26 PM EDT • Science • abc30.com
Total War Fans Blast New Remaster Over Bugs, AI Accusations

Steam users are shredding Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition

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Oct 14 • 4:29 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Science, ‘Much Ado About Murder’ dot ARTx3 October slate

The ARTx3 Campus, which comprises the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, the ARTSpace on Main and ART WORKS on Main, presents the following events in October: Next Gen STEAM Exhibition Series (Series 4: Bird In A Cage) — through Oct. 31 Can you make a bird move without touching it? Bird in a […]

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Oct 8 • 9:00 PM EDT • Science • pbcommercial.com
DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC

Aspyr has announced DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). It will launch on November 10 for $29.99.

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Oct 20 • 1:33 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Gears of War: E-Day Sold 168,000 Copies on Steam but Xbox Game Pass Players Generated 130% More Revenue

We recently reported that Gears of War: E-Day wasn't having the best launch week over on Steam, but according to Alinea Analytics's Rhys Elliott, Steam doesn't even account for half of the game's revenue or owner base. The analytics firm estimates that Gears of War: E-Day sold around 230,00...

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Oct 9 • 7:54 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
Climate hopes shift from politics to the courts

The political fight against global warming may be losing steam, but the legal battle is heating up. On the political front, from Europe to the United States, governments have been scaling back climate...

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Oct 8 • 10:59 PM EDT • Politics • yahoo.com
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies

Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

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Oct 9 • 11:49 AM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
Steam's #2 Driving Game Sets a New Bar For Realism on PS5

BeamNG.drive is an astonishing sim in search of a game

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Oct 19 • 10:01 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Ace Combat 8: Wings Of Theve Smashes Series Steam Record With Over 52,000 Concurrent Players

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is off to the series' best PC launch by a wide margin. The game came out on October 2 and peaked at over 52,000 concurrent Steam players a day later, according to SteamDB. That is nearly four times the 13,758 that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown managed in 2019, while...

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Oct 4 • 4:40 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
How to watch the 2026 MTV VMAs live, here's how to steam with Sling

Catch Madonna, Taylor Swift, Snoop Dogg and more live at the 2026 MTV VMAs with Sling.

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Sep 27 • 2:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • usatoday.com
Control Resonant becomes Remedy's top Steam launch, and even pirates are telling people to buy it

The game hit first place on the Steam bestseller chart with an 88 percent positive review score right out of the gate at its launch.

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Sep 26 • 10:30 AM EDT • Technology • tweaktown.com
Hedge Funds Snap Up LA Fire Deals as Political Backlash Sputters

Hedge funds are stepping up purchases of legal claims tied to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, after political opposition to the deals lost steam.

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Oct 11 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • energyconnects.com
Neon Abyss 2 launches October 8

Side-scrolling roguelike action game sequel Neon Abyss 2 will leave Early Access and launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam on October 8, publisher Kepler Ghost and develop…

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Sep 20 • 12:24 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
5 must-buy PC games for less than $3 in the Steam Autumn Sale

You can't get much for $3 these days, but you can nab these games.

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Oct 3 • 3:00 AM EDT • Technology • gamingbible.com
Steam Saturdays classes return this fall at Suncoast science center fab lab

High school student instructors lead younger students through hands-on projects

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Oct 9 • 10:18 AM EDT • Science • mysuncoast.com
Elta: Defy All Gods launches February 2, 2027, demo now available

“Adrenaline-fueled action platformer” Elta: Defy All Gods will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam on February 2, 2027, publisher Focus Entertainment and developer A…

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Oct 1 • 11:11 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
What to expect from today’s jobs report

Americans have kept spending despite more than five years of higher prices. But the paychecks that have powered that spending are starting to lose steam.

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Oct 2 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • cnn.com
Roborock Has Two Flagship Cleaners Massively Discounted for This Fall Prime Day—Spend Less Time Cleaning, and More Time Living

Save up to $320 on the Qrevo Edge 3 Pro and F25 Steam.

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Sep 28 • 6:20 AM EDT • Technology • gizmodo.com