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

[JEMC]

Thursday news, part two:

Activision Blizzard HR accused of shredding documents relating to abuse allegations
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/activision-blizzard-hr-accused-of-shredding-documents-relating-to-abuse-allegations/
California's Department of Fair Employment & Housing has widened its anti-discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, and claims the publisher has been shredding vital documents relevant to the ongoing investigation.
>> Documents? What documents?

Hunt: Showdown's new event introduces deadly bows and throwing axes
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/hunt-showdown-light-the-shadow-event-bows-axes/
For the next month, Hunt: Showdown will be all about mastering the bow and arrow and heading into the Bayou in search of event points. In return, you'll net yourself some new skins for the brand new in-game weapons and legendary hunters.

Everspace 2 gets an all-new demo with no time limit
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/everspace-2-gets-an-all-new-demo-with-no-time-limit/
We said earlier this year that Everspace 2 "is close to being the new gold standard for space shooters," which was especially high praise given that it was only launching into Early Access. It's come a long way since then—an update released earlier this month added a huge amount of new content including missions inspired by the great 6DOF shooter Descent—and now you can get a taste of what it's all about thanks to a new demo that's now live on Steam.
>> Note to self: download but don't play. Focus on finishing the first one.

Riders Republic is in open beta from now until August 28
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/riders-republic-is-in-open-beta-from-now-until-august-28/
Riders Republic, Ubisoft's open world multiplayer extreme sports sandbox just finished up its closed beta—only to transition immediately into an open beta. As announced at Gamescom today, from now until August 28 you can try biking, snowboarding, paragliding, and all the other extreme sports in Riders Republic for free.

Valheim's Hearth and Home update releases on September 16
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valheims-hearth-and-home-update-releases-on-september-16/
Valheim fans have been waiting (mostly patiently) for the first big update for the Viking survival game to finally arrive. And at long last, we know when it's coming. Valheim's Hearth and Home update will release on September 16.

The Saints Row reboot will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-saints-row-reboot-will-be-exclusive-to-the-epic-games-store-on-pc/
Volition has officially unveiled the next Saints Row game, a complete series reboot with a different cast of characters in a brand new region. The cross-generation game is coming to every version of the Xbox and PlayStation when it launches February 25, 2022, but the same can't be said for PC storefronts.
>> More reasons for Chazore to not buy it. Of course, it's a timed exclusive.

New World open beta starts September 9
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/new-world-open-beta-september/
After many delays, New World is for real, real, real, real releasing on September 28. Before that, on September 9, Amazon's MMO is going into open beta for one last public test.

Death Stranding Director's Cut looks mad as a hatter
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/death-stranding-directors-cut-looks-mad-as-a-hatter/
Kojima Productions served up a tasty new trailer for the upcoming Death Stranding Director's Cut today during Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live stream. The game, which director Hideo Kojima says he doesn't like the name of, is currently slated as PS5 exclusive but, given the performance of the original on PC, there's a good chance this will be in our (my) sweaty palms before long. And I want this game bad: there's a reason Death Stranding won our 2020 game of the year award.

Possible new Naraka: Bladepoint characters appear in digital art book
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/naraka-bladepoint-characters-new/
A handful of new Naraka: Bladepoint characters have seemingly been revealed, pointing to potential new fighting styles you'll be able to use in the sword-swinging melee battle royale. Users on the Naraka: Bladepoint subreddit posted a number of images from the game's official digital art book, which only came with the ultimate edition, giving a glimpse at concept art that shows off characters we've yet to see in-game.

Kinguin backs down, removes Frostpunk 2 preorder key listing
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/kinguin-backs-down-removes-frostpunk-2-preorder-key-listing/
Last week, 11 Bit Studios called out game key reseller Kinguin—harshly—for selling "preorder Steam CD keys" for Frostpunk 2. (...) 11 Bit Studios wasn't happy with the outcome, but seemed resigned to it, saying that legal action against Kinguin would be "extremely difficult" to pursue because the company is registered in Hong Kong. It appears to be settled now, though, as Kinguin did remove the listing at some point recently: The URLs on both https://www.kinguin.net/category/93283/frostpunk-2-pre-order-steam-cd-key">Kinguin and G2Play, which was listed as the actual seller of the keys (although it's also part of Kinguin, so it's really a distinction without a difference), now serve up 404 errors.

Hellish pixel platformer Valfaris goes 2.5D in forthcoming sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/hellish-pixel-platformer-valfaris-goes-25d-in-forthcoming-sequel/
Valfaris was a sumptuous metal-themed 2D platformer with some of the most impressive pixel art this side of Owlboy. The work of Slain studio Steel Mantis, it was a bonkers modern take on classic action-platformers like Shadow of the Beast. Now it's getting a sequel called Valfaris: Mecha Therion that mixes things up a bit.

Saints Row modder and Volition community developer Mike Watson, aka IdolNinja, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/saints-row-modder-and-volition-community-developer-mike-watson-aka-idolninja-has-died/
Mike Watson, aka IdolNinja, Saints Row super-modder and the senior community developer leading the Saints Row 2 patch project at Volition, died this morning, as confirmed by former Volition employee Ryan McCabe on Resetera. Watson had stage four cancer, and the illness led to him stepping down from his position as Volition's community manager in May. He continued working on the Saints Row 2 patch project, however, writing that "it is 100% my choice to spend my last days contributing to it. Both Volition and Deep Silver have been incredibly supportive and have always given me the opportunity to leave the project with a solemn vow to make sure it gets finished without me."
>> D,E,P,

Townscaper's seaside dioramas make for adorable 3D prints
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/townscapers-seaside-dioramas-make-for-adorable-3d-prints/
Townscaper's do-it-yourself islands are already more toy than game. But thanks to an experimental beta pushed earlier this week, people have started turning their seaside villages into utterly charming desk ornaments.

South Korea is getting rid of its controversial gaming curfew law
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/south-korea-is-getting-rid-of-its-controversial-gaming-curfew-law/
South Korea is abolishing its controversial law that placed a gaming curfew on young people.
The Shutdown Law, also known as the Cinderella Law, was introduced in 2011 as a way to try and prevent kids and teenagers from playing games with their mates until the wee hours of the morning. It meant that by law, anybody under the age of 16 couldn't play online games between 12 AM and 6 AM.