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

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Monday news, the long part two:

Bungie admits over half of Destiny 2's Control PvP matches are decided 'before a single shot is fired'
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-admits-over-half-of-destiny-2s-control-pvp-matches-are-decided-before-a-single-shot-is-fired/
Yesterday, Bungie announced the return of skill-based matchmaking—or SBMM—to Destiny 2's main PvP mode. In a This Week at Bungie blog post, the studio detailed upcoming changes to matchmaking, with the addition of "loose SBMM" to the Control playlist that will arrive at the launch of Season 18 on August 23. This is described as "the first iteration" of a larger matchmaking overhaul, due to continue through Season 19.

Evolve Stage 2 servers are working again and nobody knows why
https://www.pcgamer.com/evolve-stage-2-servers-are-working-again-and-nobody-knows-why/
Something strange is going on with Evolve Stage 2, 2K Games' long-dead free-to-play 4v1 FPS. Four years after the servers were taken offline, which effectively killed the game, they appear to have returned—sort of, anyway.

Ass Creed meets Ass Pan in the year's weirdest videogame crossover event
https://www.pcgamer.com/ass-creed-meets-ass-pan-in-the-years-weirdest-videogame-crossover-event/
Imagine, if you will, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, dropping silently onto his prey from the rooftops of Renaissance Italy—but instead of plunging his infamous wrist dagger into their neck, he beans 'em a good one with a cast iron frying pan. Impossible? Well, yes, in the game at least, but not in the realm of fan fiction anymore thanks to a collaboration between Ubisoft and Krafton that will bring Assassin's Creed to PUBG in August.

Witcher 3 veterans announce a multiplayer stealth-action game set in feudal Japan
https://www.pcgamer.com/witcher-3-veterans-announce-a-multiplayer-stealth-action-game-set-in-feudal-japan/
In 2021, CD Projekt successfully crowdfunded a Witcher-based manga called The Witcher: Ronin that reimagines Geralt and the gang in feudal Japan. Now former members of CD Projekt are looking to take it one step further by launching a studio called Dark Passenger that's working on an all-new online action game set in—you guessed it—feudal Japan.

Artist alleges Call of Duty plagiarized a military dog skin
https://www.pcgamer.com/artist-alleges-call-of-duty-plagiarized-a-military-dog-skin/
A fluffy kerfuffle is brewing around a new Call of Duty skin, with an artist accusing Activision Blizzard and, by extension, Call of Duty: Vanguard maker Raven Software, of plagiarizing their work. Raven Software has since removed the alleged plagiarism, the Floof Fury Tracer Pack, from both its social media and YouTube channels. Mention of the skin was also removed from Raven's blog post about the pack, as spotted by Polygon.

The creator of Disco Elysium is looking for artists with 'a love of sci-fi and space'
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-creator-of-disco-elysium-is-looking-for-artists-with-a-love-of-sci-fi-and-space/
Punk developer and former industry underdog Studio ZA/UM continues to expand and hire new talent for a follow up to PC Gamer's 2019 Game of the Year and winner of last year's Top 100, Disco Elysium. The details in these job posts might just shed some light on the studio's anticipated next project.

Sapiens wants to take you from Stone Age huts to Medieval castles
https://www.pcgamer.com/sapiens-wants-to-take-you-from-stone-age-huts-to-medieval-castles/
City builders and colony sims usually take a dedicated tack, focusing on one period, but recent indie release Sapiens is going all-in on scale. Starting with two people, you'll lead your tribe through "thousands of years of technological breakthroughs."

Dr. Disrespect's game is called Deadrop, watch some early gameplay footage
https://www.pcgamer.com/dr-disrespects-game-is-called-deadrop-watch-some-early-gameplay-footage/
Midnight Society, the development studio founded by Dr. Disrespect, has revealed the name and some background details about the multiplayer FPS formerly known as Project Moon. It's called Deadrop, and according to the Midnight Society website, it's set in the year "2020.b", when self-governed megastructures called Refiner States turn toxic atmospheric pollutants into a valuable addictive substance called "space dust".

Elden Ring's hardest boss used to be even harder
https://www.pcgamer.com/elden-rings-hardest-boss-used-to-be-even-harder/
Elden Ring dataminers have been increasingly turning to the pre-patch, 1.0 build of the game in search of FromSoftware's development secrets. Earlier this month, dataminer kotn3l uncovered a version of secret megaboss Malenia who's more aggressive, blocks your attacks better, and has a second variation of her signature move.

Destiny 2 disables text chat due to game-breaking exploit
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-disables-text-chat-due-to-game-breaking-exploit/
Some players of Destiny 2 were in the crosshairs of a rude exploit this weekend when other players discovered the ability to use text chat to crash their game. It was apparently most common in PvP, where some were using the exploit—some form of text copy and paste—to crash their opponents' game and secure a win-by-default

Fans are bringing back tactics card game Duelyst
https://www.pcgamer.com/fans-are-bringing-back-tactics-card-game-duelyst/
In 2014, Counterplay Games raised $137,707 on Kickstarter for a project called Duelyst, promising a card game that had "Squad-Based Tactical Combat with Ranked Competitive Play. Brought to you by veterans from Diablo III and Rogue Legacy." Its pixel art and complex blend of cards and turn-based strategy drew plenty of interest during beta, and after launch Counterplay signed a publishing deal with Bandai Namco. The good times didn't last, and three years later Duelyst's servers were shut down. Counterplay's next release would be looter-slasher Godfall.
That's not the end of the Duelyst story, however. Fans at indie studio Dream Sloth were given a licence by Counterplay (who still own the rights to Duelyst), as well as most of the original source code, and are currently working on a relaunch called Duelyst 2. It's based on the beta of Duelyst rather than the launch version, which means players draw two cards at the end of each turn rather than one, among other changes.

A Red Dead Online bug is turning the game into a ghost town
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-red-dead-online-bug-is-turning-the-game-into-a-ghost-town/
Red Dead Online doesn't seem long for this world. After Rockstar announced last month that RDO wouldn't receive any more 'major' content updates, players have alternated between explosive violence and quiet grief. A few have simply quit the game entirely.
Including, apparently, the NPCs.
A recent bug, first documented on Reddit, has turned Red Dead's bustling metropolises and rolling plains into deserted ghost towns. Horses pull empty carriages down desolate streets, wares sit untended on market stalls, and you can't even find wild animals if you head out into the countryside. It's like someone's told them the game is doomed and they've all run off to find new employment.