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

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Monday news, part two:

Roller Champions, Ubisoft's Rocket League-meets-roller derby game, is delayed again
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/roller-champions-ubisofts-rocket-league-meets-roller-derby-game-is-delayed-again/
Ubisoft's upcoming roller-derby-meets-Rocket-League game Roller Champions has been delayed. Ubi said last year that Roller Champions would be out in its 2022-23 fiscal year which ends on March 31, 2022, but a message posted on the game's Discord server says it's going to need a little more time.

Indie heist sim Monaco is getting a 3D sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/indie-heist-sim-monaco-is-getting-a-3d-sequel/
In our 2013 review of the original Monaco, we called the indie heist sim "one of the best co-op games of all time." Monaco had fantastic, open-ended levels that helped its improvisational stealth co-op gameplay really shine. Of course, I always used the Mole to smash walls in a straight line through those levels and troll my friends, but the rich improvisational gameplay was there.
Now, nine years later, Pocketwatch has announced Monaco 2 with a slick animated trailer and a three-minute dev log presented by Pocketwatch founder Andy Schatz. The log contains the real meat of the announcement, with demonstrations of prototype gameplay, concept art, and an explanation of the game's ambitions.

Overwatch 2 beta officially set for April 26
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/overwatch-2-beta-date/
After a long (long) wait, Blizzard announced today that the Overwatch 2 PvP beta will begin on April 26 with new heroes, maps, and 5v5 gameplay. The announcement comes a week after Blizzard kicked off a closed alpha of the sequel and opened signups for the beta on its website.
>> And Dppmfist is a tank in this sequel.

New World 2022 roadmap revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/new-world-2022-roadmap-revealed/
Amazon Game Studios has released a developer roundtable video alongside a 2022 roadmap for its colonial fantasy MMO, New World.
New World's Heart of Madness update coming later this month will bring the Strength/Intelligence-scaling Blunderbuss weapon, as well as the Tempest Heart expedition, 3v3 PvP arenas, and expanded PvP rewards.

Two reports paint a troubling picture of workplace abuses at acclaimed indie studios
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/two-reports-paint-a-troubling-picture-of-workplace-abuses-at-acclaimed-indie-studios/
Stories of abusive workplaces are unfortunately all too common among major videogame publishers, Activision and Ubisoft being the most obvious examples—both have faced significant allegations of widespread misconduct and employee abuse in recent years. There is sometimes an expectation that things are better among indie developers, which are generally much smaller, more intimate, and—publicly, at least—more institutionally aware of the vital need for equitable treatment of all employees. And yet, two reports released today make it clear that that's not always the case.

Here's a look at devilish cowboy tactics in Hard West 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-a-look-at-devilish-cowboy-tactics-in-hard-west-2/
Hard West 2 is on the way, a second round of the 2015 weird western tactics you may or may not remember fondly for its odd structure and experimental narrative. Popping up on Steam and dropping a reveal trailer, Hard West 2 looks a heck of a lot like a sequel to Hard West, which I'd guess is what you want from it.
>> I played the first one. Good gameplay but, in my opinion, awful storytelling. I'll probably skip this one.

PSA: Elden Ring hackers are locking players in infinite death loops
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/psa-elden-ring-hackers-are-locking-players-in-infinite-death-loops/
Elden Ring players beware. Users on Reddit and Twitter have shown that Elden Ring Hackers are entering players' games, crashing them, and sending the players into recursive loops, doomed to fall to their deaths as soon as they log back in.

Vampire: the Masquerade – Swansong promises a Telltale-style take on the World of Darkness
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong-promises-a-telltale-style-take-on-the-world-of-darkness/
After a long drought, there's been rush of Vampire: the Masquerade videogames in recent years like the multiplayer battle royale Bloodhunt, the ongoing text adventure series by Choice of Games, and the alarmingly fraught development of Bloodlines 2 all in the shadow of Troika's cult classic, Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines.
Vampire: the Masquerade – Swansong, meanwhile, is a promising-looking entry in the VtM canon developed by Big Bad Wolf, creators off the episodic narrative murder mystery, The Council. Swansong is a take on the World of Darkness more reminiscent of Telltale games like The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us than classic RPGs, and Big Bad Wolf recently released a first gameplay trailer showing off the project.

Epic, Xbox contributing Fortnite proceeds to humanitarian relief in Ukraine
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/epic-xbox-contributing-fortnite-proceeds-to-humanitarian-relief-in-ukraine/
In the continuing trend of charity from game companies aimed at Ukraine, Epic Games has weighed in, and will donate proceeds from Fortnite from March 20th to April 3rd, 2022, to humanitarian relief helping people affected by Russian invasion of Ukraine. With Chapter 3, Season 2 launching today, that's likely to be a pretty big stack of cash as players pick up the new battle pass.

No one is safe from Destiny copyright strikes, not even Bungie
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/no-one-is-safe-from-destiny-copyright-strikes-not-even-bungie/
Like any live service game or MMO, a huge part of Destiny's footprint and staying power derives from the content creator ecosystem surrounding it. Unfortunately, in recent days many Destiny content creators, including high-profile ones like MyNameIsByf and Aztecross, have received copyright strikes on their Destiny-related videos.
(...)
In a bizarre twist, the strikes also seem to be affecting Bungie's own Destiny 2 content on YouTube as well. Bungie has confirmed neither it nor its partners are behind the DMCA takedowns. Bungie is investigating the issue, and we'll update this story once we know more.

'There are no plans to reduce the scale of development on Babylon's Fall', says dev team
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/there-are-no-plans-to-reduce-the-scale-of-development-on-babylons-fall-says-dev-team/
Babylon's Fall, the live-service flop developed by Platinum Games and published by Square Enix, is apparently not going to be abandoned so that everyone involved can move on to do something more worthwhile with their lives. According to a statement from the Babylon's Fall development team, Babylon's Fall will continue to be supported.

The next Stellaris expansion is Overlord, and it's all about being in charge
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-next-stellaris-expansion-is-overlord-and-its-all-about-being-in-charge/
A new expansion is coming to sci-fi 4X and grand strategy Stellaris, just like clockwork, with the upcoming Overlord pack set to overhaul the relationships between ruling powers and their smaller, subject states. The goal of the expansion is to make consolidating other empires under your rule, but not direct control, a more interesting experience than in the base game.

Free-to-play MMO Lord of the Rings Online is getting more generous
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/free-to-play-mmo-lord-of-the-rings-online-is-getting-more-generous/
The Lord of the Rings Online turns 15 this year, and like any hobbit will be celebrating with a birthday party. It begins with an update scheduled for late April, which will make a whole lot of what players previously had to pay for available for free. "With this update," producer Raninia writes in the latest blog post, "all quests, areas, instances, and expansions released between the original launch of LOTRO back in 2007 and up to – and including! - the release of Helm’s Deep will be available for free to everyone."

Fortnite has turned off building in its default mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/fortnite-has-turned-off-building-in-its-default-mode/
Building may seem like a core part of Fortnite, as inseparable from its identity as cross-promotions, but it's a turn-off for a lot of players. The skill gap between people who want to try out the popular battle royale while dressing like Spider-Man maybe, and the sweatiest key-rebinding builders capable of constructing towers and fortresses instantaneously, can seem insurmountable. A "no-build mode" has been suggested plenty of times, and as part of Chapter 3 Season 2, Fortnite has one—for now at least.

Devotion studio's next game looks like Hollow Knight crossed with Sekiro
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/devotion-studios-next-game-looks-like-hollow-knight-crossed-with-sekiro/
Nine Sols is the next game from Devotion studio Red Candle Games, and it's a bit of a departure for the Taiwanese team. Whereas Devotion and its predecessor Detention were both spooky survival horror games, Nine Sols is a 2D platformer "featuring Sekiro-inspired deflection focused combat." The studio describes the setting as "Taopunk".

There's a Witcher 3 easter egg that takes 7 in-game years to reveal
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/theres-a-witcher-3-easter-egg-that-takes-7-in-game-years-to-reveal/
YouTuber xLetalis has been on the hunt for a particular easter egg in The Witcher 3 after quest designer Philipp Weber dropped some hints about it. Weber had previously tweeted at xLetalis in response to a video he'd made about the character Vivienne, who is part of the Blood and Wine DLC, saying, "I wonder when they will find Vivienne's last secret". Fans got hold of the idea of this "last secret" and asked Weber about it during a charity livestream earlier this month, during which he said "it's on Skellige" and that it "goes quite a bit further" than they might expect.

How to watch the Future Games Show: Spring Showcase
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/how-to-watch-the-future-games-show-spring-showcase/
The Future Games Show: Spring Showcase, presented by GamesRadar+, returns on March 24—that's this Thursday—with an exclusive look at some of the most exciting games coming this year. The show will feature more than 40 games, including eight new world exclusive reveals, demos that will go live as announced, and audience competitions.