Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

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Wednesday news, part two:

 

Belgium says loot boxes are gambling, wants them banned in Europe
http://www.pcgamer.com/belgium-says-loot-boxes-are-gambling-wants-them-banned-in-europe/
Last week, Belgium's Gaming Commission announced that it had launched an investigation into whether the loot boxes available for purchase in games like Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront 2 constitute a form of gambling. Today, VTM News reported that the ruling is in, and the answer is yes.
Update: According to Belgian news site RTBF (Google translated), Belgium's Gaming Commission has not actually finalized its decision on whether loot boxes are gambling. The site says the statement that appeared in the original report, stating that the "mixture of money and addiction is a game of chance," is descriptive of the investigation's intent rather than its conclusion.

>>Share your opinion with the rest of us at poklane's thread.

 

US legislator calls out EA's 'predatory practices' in Star Wars Battlefront 2
http://www.pcgamer.com/us-legislator-calls-out-eas-predatory-practices-in-star-wars-battlefront-2/
Belgium's Gaming Commission today declared that loot boxes in videogames are a form of gambling, and said that it would take the matter to Europe in pursuit of a ban against them. But interest in, and opposition to, the randomly filled digital boxes is gaining traction in the US, too. Rep. Chris Lee of Hawaii posted a video to YouTube in which he calls for "future protections for kids, youth, and everyone when it comes to the spread of predatory practices in online gaming."

>>This time it's flashfire926 who has made the thread about this.

 

Tiny Metal delayed as accusations of Kickstarter fraud swirl around developer
http://www.pcgamer.com/tiny-metal-delayed-as-accusations-of-kickstarter-fraud-swirl-around-developer/
We spoke with Area 35 CEO Hiroyuki Yura in September at PAX West about the studio's upcoming Advance Wars spiritual successor Tiny Metal, a turn-based, isometric strategy game with a 20-hour single-player campaign and 1v1 multiplayer. It was supposed to be out today, but the studio announced yesterday (via Gematsu) that it's been delayed until just before Christmas. That's not good, but according to this Kotaku report, it gets a lot worse.

>>That's not good, and it's a shame because the game looked good .

 

Strafe devs reveal the game's 7 biggest secrets, including a Chex Quest homage
http://www.pcgamer.com/strafe-devs-reveal-the-games-7-biggest-secrets-including-a-chex-quest-homage/
Strafe is a roguelike first-person shooter with a colorful history. After a rocky launch, it's really blossomed in recent months thanks to big updates like the recent Millennium Edition overhaul. Along with new game modes and enemies, the Millennium Edition also introduced more secrets for players to hunt for—and according to Thom Glunt, co-founder of developer Pixel Titans, players recently found the biggest one, roughly a month after launch.

 

2D action game Heckpoint looks way more brutal than its name
http://www.pcgamer.com/2d-action-game-heckpoint-looks-way-more-brutal-than-its-name/
Were it not for sci-fi action RPG Hellpoint, developer Nodacoy Games might have easily called their 2D action game by the same name. Instead, we're looking at Heckpoint, a deceptively brutal game where everything, including your face, is destructible. It's currently on Steam Early Access, where Nodacoy says it will stay for roughly six to eight months.

 

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds unveils two new guns
http://www.pcgamer.com/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-unveils-two-new-guns/
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' second test server for its PC version 1.0 went live earlier, however has since been pulled to undergo "emergency maintenance". Whenever it's reinstated (at the time of writing, the game's official Twitter feed suggests around 12noon GMT), it'll bring with it two new weapons.
Update: test servers are now again live.)

 

Call of Duty: WW2 gets new map, Thanksgiving double XP, emblem editor release date
http://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-ww2-gets-new-map-thanksgiving-double-xp-emblem-editor-release-date/
Despite its launch issues, Call of Duty: WW2 has spent the last few weeks getting its trenches in order. Now, developer Sledgehammer Games has announced its Thanksgiving double XP weekend will launch a day early, and that the previously delayed PC emblem editor will land on December 8.

 

Tencent wins rights to officially release PUBG in China, will 'accord with socialist core values'
http://www.pcgamer.com/tencent-wins-rights-to-officially-release-pubg-in-china-will-accord-with-socialist-core-values/
Two weeks ago, we learned Tencent was still pursuing the acquisition of PUBG creator Bluehole—having had a bid turned down prior to the online shooter's runaway success. Now, it appears the Chinese tech giant has secured the rights to officially release PUBG in China.

 

Square Enix could no longer invest in Hitman, but knew 'it wouldn't be Hitman unless made by IO'
http://www.pcgamer.com/square-enix-could-no-longer-invest-in-hitman-but-knew-it-wouldnt-be-hitman-unless-made-by-io/
Last week, IO Interactive described its decision to part ways with Square Enix earlier this year as a "watershed moment" for the studio. Now, Square Enix's CEO Yosuke Matsuda has praised IO's treatment of the Hitman series, but says SE could no longer "continue sufficiently investing" in it.