government initiative Archives

AppWizard

August 21, 2026

Beyond These Stars Arrives Oct 15 on PC Game Pass With Full 1.0 Launch

Hooded Horse and Balancing Monkey Games will release Beyond These Stars on October 15, 2026. The game is a city-building and colony management title set on the back of a sentient Space Whale named Kewa. It will be available on Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store, with day-one access for PC Game Pass subscribers. Beyond These Stars serves as a sequel to Before We Leave and features players guiding a civilization called the Peeps while managing resources and Kewa's well-being. The game emphasizes ecological mutualism, where Kewa's happiness affects gameplay. Players will navigate a complex production system and can explore a procedurally generated Galaxy Map with various star systems. The game has received positive feedback from critics and will launch as a complete 1.0 title, bypassing Early Access. The minimum system requirements include a Windows 10 (64-bit) PC with an Intel Core i3-6300 or AMD FX-9370, 8 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 750 or AMD Radeon R9 380. A free demo is currently available on Steam.

AppWizard

December 18, 2025

The Kremlin Really Wants Russians To Switch To A New State-Backed Messenger App. Russians Really Don’t Want To.

Messenger Max is a state-backed messaging app launched in Russia to streamline bureaucratic processes and is now mandatory for many citizens. It is part of the government's initiative to create a "super-app" that consolidates various services, including school registrations and trash complaints. The app has been heavily promoted, but a survey shows that 68 percent of Russians do not use it, with many who do primarily using it for personal communication. In educational institutions, the Science and Higher Education Ministry has mandated its use for official communications, leading to reports of students facing expulsion for non-compliance. Concerns about privacy and data security have emerged, and activists have criticized the coercive tactics used to enforce compliance. The government's push for Messenger Max reflects a broader effort to reduce reliance on foreign messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.