More than two years after its initial announcement, Homeworld 3 has a release date. Gearbox and developer Blackbird Interactive announced on Thursday during The Game Awards the next entry in the classic real-time strategy series will debut before the end of 2022. They also shared a first look at gameplay. 

The trailer opens with a shot of the Khar-Toba, the ship that set the Kushan, the protagonists of the Homeworld series, on their journey to return to their home of Hiigara. The clip is narrated by Karan S'jet, who fans will remember as one of the main characters of the first two games. S'jet recounts some of the pivotal moments of Homeworld and Homeworld 2 before the footage turns to the space battles players can expect to experience once the game comes out. 

Blackbird Interactive, a studio made up of former Relic Entertainment employees — including Rob Cunningham, the original art director on the first two games — is developing Homeworld 3. The studio previously worked on the excellent Deserts of Kharak, which is a prequel to the first game. 

Homeworld 3 is available to wishlist on Steam and the Epic Games Store. 

Telltale Games is best known for its narrative-driven spins on existing franchises, and next up for the revived studio is an adaptation of Amazon Prime sci-fi series The Expanse. Telltale says the game, which it's working on with Deck Nine Games, will delve into the story of Camina Drummer. 

In The Expanse: A Telltale Series, a mutiny has broken out on the Artemis. As is the case in other Telltale titles, you'll have to make decisions that impact the story and, more specifically, determine the fate of the spaceship. Telltale hasn't announced a release window or which platforms the game is coming to.

Much like Telltale, The Expanse got a second chance. Syfy canceled the show after three seasons, but Amazon picked it up. The sixth and final season premieres on December 10th.

Annapurna Interactive—now practically a byword for beautiful, experimental games—have struck oil publishing some unlikely titles, like 2019's Groundhog Day-meets-flight sim Outer Wilds, or the splattery meditations of The Unfinished Swan. Announced today, the studio's newest gambit will be a turn-based RPG based around small town drama and the tension between immigrants and their second-generation kids.

Thirsty Suitors drops players into the story of Jala, who visits her a suffocating hometown to attend a wedding, and in the process is confronted by her history of romantic mistakes and a string of the titular suitors summoned by her grandmother. The turn based battles against ex lovers recall Scott Pilgrim, but will be broken up by cooking and skateboarding segments, all rendered in a gorgeous cell-shaded style. (Not too late to call this one Tony Hawks' Pro Dater, folks.)

Watch the reveal trailer here.

Netflix has canceled its much-hyped and equally maligned Cowboy Bebop adaptation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant decided against renewing the series. The decision comes just three weeks after the show's November 19th premiere. Like with many of its other high-profile cancellations, Netflix is said to have weighed the show's viewership numbers with the potential cost of filming another season.

The cancellation shouldn't come as a surprise, however. Many reviews of Cowboy Bebop were critical of the adaptation. Here at Engadget, we said it was "everything wrong with nostalgia reboots." Even if the series had been better, it's safe to say it had an impossible task before it. Cowboy Bebop is one of the most-loved anime series in history. For many western fans of a certain age, it was their introduction to the medium and they would have been critical of the final product no matter what direction the crew took it. 

The Game Awards are in-person once again, but you'll still have an opportunity to tune in online. The games industry ceremony is streaming live at 8PM Eastern, and you can watch it here through YouTube as well as through multiple other services that include Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook Live, Steam and even in VR (albeit 2D) through Oculus Venues.

You can expect sizzle from the awards themselves, with frontrunner nominees like Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank vying for attention alongside indie darlings and odd choices like Cyberpunk 2077. You'll also likely see a surprise or two among the many game premieres and updates that define the show. That's not including simultaneous launches like the Unreal Engine 5-based The Matrix Awakens demo.

However, this year's event may be as notable for the surrounding drama as the actual presentation. Activision Blizzard will be a no-show (beyond the advisory board, that is), and the company's sexual harassment scandal may cast a shadow over some nominees. You can also be sure the organizers will make full use of a real-world venue, with performances from the likes of Sting and Imagine Dragons. In that light, the 2021 gala still won't represent business as usual.

Google told employees at a virtual all-hands meeting Tuesday that it will not be adjusting workers' pay to match inflation. In other words, Google's rank and file will be effectively earning less, even while the company has thrived, achieving record profits for five consecutive quarters.

According to audio shared with CNBC, CEO Sundar Pichai read a question from his staff concerning the rising cost of just about everything, and the decision by some companies to offset those hardships with commensurate pay raises. The company's vice president of compensation, Frank Wagner, reportedly responded that: “As I mentioned previously in other meetings, when we see price inflation increasing, we also see increases in the cost of labor or market pay rate," and that "those have been higher than in recent past and our compensation budgets have reflected that.”

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Raises of this kind are fairly standard for many businesses, and are typically referred to as "cost of living adjustments." Wagner, however, claimed any potential pay raises ought to reflect "performance" instead of a smaller but more broadly implemented increase.

Google has shown a willingness to adjust compensation related to the realities of the pandemic: by cutting pay for workers who chose to remain remote in locations with lower costs of living. In some cases these salary reductions were estimated to be as much as 25%, according to Reuters.

Apple has generally been cautious in dealing with COVID-19 even as it loosens store policies, but that apparently wasn't enough to prevent an outbreak among staff. NBC Newsreports the Apple store in Southlake, Texas is closed until December 13th after 22 workers tested positive for the illness. Four employees tested positive right after Black Friday, NBC learned, and the cases appear to have spread.

Affected workers will have to isolate for 10 days and go two days without symptoms before they can return, according to a virtual team meeting. Everyone returning on the 13th will have to take a rapid antigen COVID-19 test the day before.

There are concerns the outbreak might have been avoidable. One worker at Southlake said it was difficult to maintain social distancing even before Black Friday, while others said they were encouraged to come to work even when they reported COVID-like symptoms in a mandatory survey. Staffers were also incorrectly told they couldn't claim special sick leave unless they tested positive.

We've asked Apple for comment on these reports. In a statement to NBC, a spokesperson focused on an overall "comprehensive approach" to safety that included regular testing, masks, cleaning and paid leave.

Apple has faced accusations of poor retail employee treatment in the past, including (discontinued) off-the-clock bag searches. There may be multiple factors at work in this case, however. Whether or not the leadership was responsible, staff are reportedly concerned there's too much pressure to meet certain sales targets. Managers may feel compelled to put sick staff to work rather than risk falling short of store goals.

It only took three years, but the Epic Games Store finally has one of the staples of online stores: a shopping cart. Visit the store on your computer and you can grab multiple games, apps and add-ons at the same time. You can review and remove items before checking out, and move content to your wishlist if you'd rather wait for a sale. You can still click "buy now" if you're only bent on picking up a single item.

It seems like a simple addition, and Epic is keenly aware of how late it is to the party. The company opened its store in 2018 with a barebones feature set and spent a long while adding features people take granted from rivals like Steam, such as gifting. This is just the most prominent catch-up in recent memory. Still, it'sd difficult to complain loudly if it helps you buy a bunch of discounted classics.

As of today, there’s yet another way to access YouTube TV. Google’s streaming television service is now available on Comcast’sXfinity Flex set-top boxes. It joins Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV as one of three alternatives to the company's own Xfinity TV service.

As with the other platforms where it’s available, YouTube TV offers access to more than 85 channels, including ones from ABC, CBS and Fox. It also comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage and support for three simultaneous streams. Outside of the app, you can access the service using the Xfinity Voice Remote. The announcement comes just one day after Google and Roku reached a multi-year deal to end a dispute that had seen the YouTube TV app removed from the Roku Store.

Netflix has opened up a fan-focused hub for updates and information about its shows and movies. The minisite is called Tudum, the same name as a three-hour fan event that took place in September. It's also the onomatopoeic name for the signature sound that plays when you fire up Netflix or start watching an Original.

The company notes that it's early days for Tudum, though the site will feature things like interviews, behind-the-scenes videos and bonus features. Right now, Tudum is showcasing a piece called "The Year in Pop Culture Obsessions" and an explainer that delves into how long witchers live, ahead of the second season of The Witcher arriving next week.

You'll also get to check out the latest Netflix news and trailers, and learn about upcoming releases. There's a section for trending content, as well as recommendations based on things you've watched. However, for me, that section is full of content about Lost in Space, a show I haven't watched in three years.

Tudum is obviously another way for Netflix to promote its shows and movies. Still, it could come in handy for fans looking for more details about the likes of Money Heist, Emily in Paris and the company's other hits.