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

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The news, the sequel:

Starfield fans are already reverse-engineering the game's map
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-fans-are-already-reverse-engineering-the-games-map/
It's going to be a fair bit longer before we finally get to explore Starfield's galaxy. Unless, of course, you're dedicated enough to reverse engineer Bethesda's star-map based on six fleeting seconds of trailer footage, compile it into a 3D executable, and release it into the wild for curious fans.

The Netherlands moves toward an outright loot box ban
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-netherlands-moves-toward-an-outright-loot-box-ban/
Representatives of six political parties in the Netherlands have filed a motion calling for more stringent regulation of loot boxes in videogames, and possibly even an outright ban. The motion (via Google Translate) describes loot boxes as "addictive," and says that they're a form of gambling that are designed to manipulate children into spending money.

The Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 remake is changing the battle system, and I demand to see the manager
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-crisis-core-final-fantasy-7-remake-is-changing-the-battle-system-and-i-demand-to-see-the-manager/
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion was recently announced at the FF7 25th anniversary livestream, and Square Enix has now dropped some new details about the project, which is doing a lot more than just sprucing-up the graphics.

After a year of silence, Ubisoft might finally tell us about its big games
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-a-year-of-silence-ubisoft-might-finally-tell-us-about-its-big-games/
For a studio with a bunch of major games in the works at all times, Ubisoft sure hasn't told us much about them over the past year. It didn't participate in not-E3 last month, there were no trailers or announcements from Ubisoft at The Game Awards back in December, and even the Ubisoft Forward showcase in 2021 was pretty underwhelming.
(...)
Hopefully we'll be given more to chew on this summer, because the dates for Ubisoft Forward 2022 have finally been announced. First up is an appetizer on July 7, with an "in-depth look" at Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's repeatedly delayed open world multiplayer pirate game that will (probably) come out before the end of the year.

Ubisoft is trying to save Anno 2070 from Ubisoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-is-trying-to-save-anno-2070-from-ubisoft/
Ubisoft announced last week that it's pulling the plug on online support for a number of its older games, including multiple Assassin's Creeds, Driver San Francisco, Far Cry 3, and several others. But Ubisoft Mainz, the studio behind the city-sim strategy game Anno 2070—which is also on the list of games losing online support—isn't letting it go without a fight.

Rockstar reportedly halts Red Dead Redemption remaster because of GTA Trilogy mess
https://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-reportedly-halts-red-dead-redemption-remaster-because-of-gta-trilogy-mess/
Nothing succeeds like success, as the old saying goes, and nowhere is that more true than in videogames. Sequels have been a foundational part of the business for years, and more recently remakes and remasters have become big, bringing our favorite games from years gone by onto new hardware. But two huge and obvious candidates for the remastering treatment—Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 4—have reportedly been halted by Rockstar.
>> "Oh. no! We made a crappy port that no one liked. That means no one is interested in remasters anymore" - some very smart exec at Rockstar/Take Two.

To bring attention to climate change, Ubisoft will burn down virtual forests
https://www.pcgamer.com/to-bring-attention-to-climate-change-ubisoft-will-burn-down-virtual-forests/
Later this year, Riders Republic players will log into their extreme sports sandbox and be greeted not by idyllic California cliffs and trails, but by grim orange skies choked by smoke. They'll find that a gas mask has been put on their character. And they won't be able to access certain map areas deemed "unbreathable" as a result of local wildfires.

History's weirdest shotgun is coming to a videogame near you
https://www.pcgamer.com/historys-weirdest-shotgun-is-coming-to-a-videogame-near-you/
Hunt: Showdown, a tactical cowboy FPS known for its arsenal of cool, absurd, and forgotten weapons of the 1800s, is only getting weirder. According to a detailed leak outlining an upcoming update, Hunt will soon receive a peculiar historical shotgun design long requested by fans: the Alofs device.

Singleplayer Battlefield game announced in the modern style: with a job posting
https://www.pcgamer.com/singleplayer-battlefield-game-announced-in-the-modern-style-with-a-job-posting/
Last December, we heard that a new Seattle studio headed by Halo trilogy art director Marcus Lehto will be exploring "narrative, storytelling, and character development" in the Battlefield series. EA didn't directly say that the studio is making a singleplayer Battlefield campaign, but it seemed pretty obvious. Now we have explicit confirmation.

In Immortal Empires, Total War: Warhammer's vampire couple are 'staying together in undead matrimony'
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-immortal-empires-total-war-warhammers-vampire-couple-are-staying-together-in-undead-matrimony/
As we get closer to the August release of Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empires DLC, Creative Assembly has been explaining how the revised mega-sized campaign of conquest will work. We've seen a new map taking in the entire Warhammer World, with revised starting positions, and in the latest blog Creative Assembly introduces a new legendary lord and some changes to old ones.

Sonic creator still pissed about 'no good' Square Enix
https://www.pcgamer.com/sonic-creator-still-pissed-about-no-good-square-enix/
In April this year Yuji Naka, the celebrated designer best-known for his years at Sega and the creation of the first Sonic the Hedgehog games, posted an extraordinary condemnation of Square Enix. Among other things he said "I don't think Square Enix cares about games."
This bust-up all relates to the development of a game called Balan Wonderworld, on which Naka was once the project director before being removed by the publisher. Naka subsequently brought a lawsuit against Square Enix for his treatment. The legal stuff is all over now and, as part of the outcome, Naka is free to say what he thinks.

James Gunn and Suda51 'don't know anything' about the Lollipop Chainsaw remake
https://www.pcgamer.com/james-gunn-and-suda51-have-nothing-to-do-with-the-lollipop-chainsaw-remake/
Lollipop Chainsaw is getting a remake if you somehow haven't heard my incessant yelling about its return for the past few weeks. The original is a bombastic, colourful zombie-sawing action game packed with witty dialogue co-written by James Gunn back when he was just "the Scooby-Doo guy" and not "the Marvel guy."
Unfortunately, any hopes of Gunn making a return to freshen up and add new dialogue have been dashed by the man himself. "Neither I nor Suda 51 are currently involved in this," he tweeted in response to an article written about the remake. "I heard about it for the first time from Suda a couple weeks ago."

UK competition watchdog to investigate Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk-competition-watchdog-to-investigate-microsofts-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard/
The year's biggest news so far has been Microsoft's proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard, in a deal that could be worth $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard's shareholders have approved the deal, but due to its sheer size (this would be the biggest acquisition in the industry's history by some considerable distance) is attracting the attention of regulators worldwide.
The acquisition is currently being investigated by the US Federal Trade Commission, and now the UK's equivalent body has followed suit. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority, essentially an antitrust watchdog that drinks a bit more tea than the FTC, today announced it would be opening an investigation into the deal.

A new Witcher game releases tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-witcher-game-releases-tomorrow/
Tomorrow we're going to get an all new Witcher game and honestly, I'm as surprised as you are. Obviously it's not The Witcher 4, which CD Projekt Red confirmed earlier this year. It's actually a deckbuilding roguelike based on the card game Gwent.

Riot to increase price of League of Legends microtransactions worldwide
https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-to-increase-price-of-league-of-legends-microtransactions-worldwide/
Riot has announced that it's soon going to increase the price of League of Legends' in-game currencies. From August 19 the prices of RP and TFT coins will increase in "most" regions in which the game operates, and the publisher has a laundry list of reasons why: "worldwide inflation, currency fluctuations, maintaining fair prices between and within regions, consistency across our products, and other associated cost increases."