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

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The news, part two:

EU is about to launch an 'advanced probe' into the Microsoft Activision deal, sources say
https://www.pcgamer.com/eu-is-about-to-launch-an-advanced-probe-into-the-microsoft-activision-deal-sources-say/
Sources tell Politico that the European Commission plans to open an in-depth, "Phase 2" investigation into Microsoft's $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The commission is said to be launching the investigation after Microsoft decided against filing remedies—commitments that would satisfy the Commission's worries regarding the deal—before a deadline of midnight tonight.

Surprise! Hearthstone players are getting a free card expansion today
https://www.pcgamer.com/surprise-hearthstone-players-are-getting-a-free-card-expansion-today/
In an act of unprecedented generosity (or unprecedented hype-building, if you're more cynical), Hearthstone is bringing one of its most iconic card expansions back and giving every player free access. The Knights of the Frozen Throne set will be legal in the Standard format from today, and will remain so up until the release of the March of the Lich King set on December 6, at which point it will be banished back to Wild.

Hearthstone's next expansion will finally add Death Knight as a playable class
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-next-expansion-will-finally-add-death-knight-as-a-playable-class/
To the delight of everyone, with the possible exception of Monk mains, Hearthstone's next expansion will finally add Death Knight as a playable class. Blizzard has just announced that the new set, March of the Lich King, launches on December 6, and contains a whopping 203 new cards. That number is so high (sets are usually ~135 cards) partly because it includes 32 free core cards for Death Knight. In fact, the initial Death Knight collection comprises 68 cards—a substantial bump over the 45 that Demon Hunter, the last new class, launched with.

Saucy 'lost' Sega FMV game from the '90s is found
https://www.pcgamer.com/saucy-lost-sega-fmv-game-from-the-90s-is-found/
A long-lost and big-budget Sega Saturn game has been unearthed, and it's a slice of saucy history from the '90s console wars. Sacred Pools was a game in development by SegaSoft, an American studio, and was one of those FMV titles that accumulated around the early stages of CD-ROM technology.
The appropriately named website Gaming Alexandria has managed to secure several CD-ROMs of the never-released project, from former SegaSoft employee David Gray. Alpha builds for the game on Saturn, PC and, surprisingly, Sony PlayStation have now been uploaded online.

Cozy Grove studio Spry Fox now belongs to Netflix
https://www.pcgamer.com/cozy-grove-studio-spry-fox-now-belongs-to-netflix/
Spry Fox, the Seattle-based developer of games including Triple Town, Road Not Taken, and Cozy Grove, is now a Netflix studio. Netflix said the addition of Spry Fox to its stable of in-house studios "will help accelerate our creative development in another beloved genre and add to the growing variety of Netflix’s games catalog that will have something for everyone."

Three days after launch, Activision disables Modern Warfare 2 family sharing on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/three-days-after-launch-activision-disables-modern-warfare-2-family-sharing-on-steam/
Three days after its debut on Steam, Activision has disabled family sharing in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The change was made without notification, but SteamDB indicates that the feature was switched off at 12:21 ET on October 31.

Embracer shuts down Square Enix Montréal two months after buying it
https://www.pcgamer.com/embracer-shuts-down-square-enix-montreal-two-months-after-buying-it/
In August the all-devouring holdings company known as Embracer Group glommed up multiple Square Enix studios as part of a $300 million deal. It devoured Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal in a single bite, giving it access to the Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and Tomb Raider IPs. Just two months after the acquisition was finalized Square Enix Montréal is being shut down, Bloomberg reports.
>> Sad, but with already one studio in Montreal, it kind of makes sense to merge both of them.

A new Deus Ex is reported to be in 'very early' development at Eidos Montreal
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-deus-ex-is-reported-to-be-in-very-early-development-at-eidos-montreal/
Today's announcement of the closure of Studio Onoma came as a real surprise—the name was only given to the studio formerly known as Square Enix Montreal a few weeks ago. But amidst that unfortunate news was a very faint, distant spot of light for Deus Ex fans: According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, work on a new game in the Deus Ex series has begun.

EA plans to release a 'major' game before April, but won't say what it is
https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-plans-to-release-a-major-game-before-april-but-wont-say-what-it-is/
During an update for investors today, EA said that it plans to release a "major IP" sometime before March 31, 2023. For reasons I'll get into, there's a good chance it's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019 Respawn action adventure game Jedi: Fallen Order. First, though, a few words from EA CEO Andrew Wilson on why EA isn't being specific about what this "major IP" is.

Frontier acquires the studio behind Warhammer 40K: Daemonhunters with an eye to 'more ambitious future titles'
https://www.pcgamer.com/frontier-acquires-the-studio-behind-warhammer-40k-daemonhunters-with-an-eye-to-more-ambitious-future-titles/
Frontier Developments, maker of games in which you tinker with spaceships and games in which you tinker with race cars, has announced that it is acquiring Complex Games, the Canadian studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate — Daemonhunters. The deal is the first time Frontier has acquired a development studio, which is probably why it opted to buy one it had worked with before: Daemonhunters was published by Frontier Foundry, the company's publishing arm.

Harvestella will offer a non-binary pronoun option
https://www.pcgamer.com/harvestella-will-offer-a-non-binary-pronoun-option/
Harvestella, the upcoming farming sim from Square Enix, will offer a non-binary gender option in its character creator.
It was first revealed a couple of weeks ago, when the developer shared some screenshots of its character creator on Twitter. It showed separate pronoun and body options as well as standard hair and eye colours. The gender selection in particular stood out, and now Harvestella's producer has offered some more insight into the decision behind it.

Level Zero is a terrifying sci-fi asymmetrical horror where aliens stalk in the dark
https://www.pcgamer.com/level-zero-is-a-terrifying-sci-fi-asymmetrical-horror-where-aliens-stalk-in-the-dark/
I'm terrified of the dark and giant killer monster aliens, so new asymmetrical multiplayer horror Level Zero is doing a great job of playing into my deepest, darkest fears.

The Past Within, a 'real-life escape room experience' for two players, is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-past-within-a-real-life-escape-room-experience-for-two-players-is-out-now/
One of the most intriguing demos I played during the Steam Next Fest back in February was The Past Within. It's an asymmetric co-op puzzle game set in the deeply weird world of Rusty Lake, which until now has been exclusively a singleplayer realm. Despite the move to multiplayer, The Past Within retains all the hallmarks of the series, including unsettling music, creepy narration, and simplistic yet somehow deeply disturbing graphics.