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

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The third part of the news:

Sandbox farm sim Mirthwood will let you bring your pets into battle with you
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/sandbox-farm-sim-mirthwood-will-let-you-bring-your-pets-into-battle-with-you/
It's very common for farm sims to cite Stardew Valley as inspiration, which Mirthwood definitely does, but it's less common to see them name drop Fable, The Sims, and RimWorld. This upcoming sandbox-y farm sim RPG is definitely trying to tick a lot of boxes to give us farmlife sim lovers as much freedom as possible, and its new trailer shows off more farm customization, processing goods, and the demands of the winter season. 

Manor Lords dev has 'grand plans' for castle siege warfare but still thinks non-combat is 'a viable way to play'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/manor-lords-dev-has-grand-plans-for-castle-siege-warfare-but-still-thinks-non-combat-is-a-viable-way-to-play/
So far, Manor Lords has made a name for itself thanks to its quirky medieval setting and brilliant city-building and management features. While small pitched battles are possible, the fighting is far from the star of the show. 
(...)
But just because battles aren't a massive focus in Manor Lords doesn't mean they won't ever be. Styczeń says during the interview that castle siege warfare is certainly a possibility that could be included in the future: "Castles, sieges, and siege engines are a fairly iconic part of the time period, and I have some grand plans for the implementation of these aspects. I've previously showcased how some of the systems might work, and some of them were even in-game for testing at various points of development. Currently, I'm not yet sure how much of it will be available to play with at launch, and how much will be added over time during the early access period instead." 

Manor Lords publisher says the game's success is 'well beyond what we could have hoped'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/manor-lords-publisher-says-the-games-success-has-gone-well-beyond-what-we-could-have-hoped/
(...)
PCG had the opportunity to sit down with Tim Bender, the CEO of publisher Hooded Horse, about working with solo developer Grzegorz Styczeń of Slavic Magic on the game, and how they're trying to manage the scrutiny and demands that come with success on this scale. The main focus in these first weeks, says Bender, is paying attention to the fact that "there's so many people applying and leaving their thoughts and insights on the game."

Alan Wake 2 hasn't turned a profit 6 months after release and there's no Steam release in sight, but Remedy says it's in control
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/alan-wake-2-hasnt-turned-a-profit-6-months-after-release-and-theres-no-steam-release-in-sight-but-remedy-says-its-in-control/
Alan Wake 2 is great. 88% in PC Gamer great. Best Story 2023 great. It's Remedy taking all the lessons it's learnt across a long career and distilling them into something wonderful. And, apparently, not enough of us have bought it yet.
In the recently released Business Review for January-March 2024, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala wrote that—although it had sold 1.3 million copies at the start of February—the company had only recouped "a significant part of the marketing and development expenses" for Alan Wake 2. Virtala pretty much reiterated that in a subsequent earnings call, where he also mentioned that Remedy had experienced an operating loss of €2.1 million in Q1 2024. Though it's worth mentioning the company did buy back Control in that time.

Total War: Pharaoh is getting a free expansion-sized update that adds 4 new factions, including Troy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/total-war-pharaoh-is-getting-a-free-expansion-sized-update-that-adds-4-new-factions-including-troy/
While the drama surrounding Total War: Warhammer overshadowed it a bit, Total War: Pharaoh was similarly taking a bit of a kicking last year when it was sold for £50/$60 despite being less meaty than your usual Total War fare. It felt like something that should have been under the Saga brand, like Troy and Thrones of Britannia, but was very much advertised as a full fat Total War. 
This prompted Creative Assembly to make the surprising decision to dramatically reduce it in price, down to £30/$40, while offering existing owners partial refunds. Creative Assembly also set about beefing up the game, starting with the free High Tide update, letting players take control of the Sea Peoples, a faction that had previously served as an unplayable invader. This is now being followed up by something much more significant in scale: an update that sounds so substantial that it would normally be a premium expansion, but which is being given to all players for free. 

Baldur's Gate 3 dev spills the secret sauce: Players love finding a place, then 'ending up 2 hours and 3 puzzles later in a sacrificial chamber of a cult that murders giraffes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-dev-spills-the-secret-sauce-players-love-finding-a-place-then-ending-up-2-hours-and-3-puzzles-later-in-a-sacrificial-chamber-of-a-cult-that-murders-giraffes/
Baldur's Gate 3 is a Larian Studios game, and boy howdy are those things dense—as CRPGs tend to be. A far cry from the open-world RPGs saturated with merry little tasks that succeeded them, most CRPGs put you in a large-ish area that's utterly rammed with stuff. Dungeons, quests, dialogue, sewers—on average a CRPG's world is smaller, but by Mystra is it full.