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

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The news, the second part:

This year's Warhammer Skulls event, presented by actor Rahul Kohli, will have new reveals for Space Marine 2, Boltgun, and more—plus an up to 90% off sale on Warhammer games
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/this-years-warhammer-skulls-event-presented-by-actor-rahul-kohli-will-have-new-reveals-for-space-marine-2-boltgun-and-moreplus-an-up-to-90-off-sale-on-warhammer-games/
Fans of giant shoulder pads and yelling rejoice: Games Workshop's Skulls event is back for another year on May 23, with the promise of plenty of new reveals for Warhammer videogames. A showing for the upcoming Space Marine 2 and something new for Boltgun seem to be the focus, but we're also promised news on Rogue Trader, Total War: Warhammer, Blood Bowl 3, Tacticus, Battlesector, Warpforge, and Darktide. I'm sure there'll be at least one or two surprises we've not been let in on yet too. 

Valheim's fiery Ashlands update leaps from public test to live servers, adding a new biome, over 30 new weapons, and lots of new and inventive ways to burn to death
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/valheims-fiery-ashlands-update-leaps-from-public-test-to-live-servers-adding-a-new-biome-over-30-new-weapons-and-lots-of-new-and-inventive-ways-to-burn-to-death/
Valheim isn't exactly the new hotness it was near launch—few runaway successes are—but the flames have been lit for players to come back and enjoy a new update, which promises many different ways to die horribly, mostly by getting set on fire.

One of D&D's most infamous villains is Dead by Daylight's next killer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/one-of-dandds-most-infamous-villains-is-dead-by-daylights-next-killer/
Dungeons and Dragons is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Dead by Daylight is getting in on that action by bringing the powerful lich Vecna to the game as its next killer.

The Sims 4's new roadmap details the 'Season of Love' with two build kits and a romantic expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4s-new-roadmap-details-the-season-of-love-with-two-build-kits-and-a-romantic-expansion/
After completing its roadmap of DLC and updates for the first half of the year, The Sims 4 has dropped a new roadmap. The next several months of Sims 4 additions have been dubbed the "season of love," during which we can expect two free updates, two DLC kits, and one expansion.

For the first time in 10 years, this brutal survival game will let you avoid permadeath
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/for-the-first-time-in-10-years-this-brutal-survival-game-will-let-you-avoid-permadeath/
Ten years after its alpha first appeared in 2014, first-person survival game The Long Dark is still getting new stuff. The fifth and final part of its Tales from the Far Territory DLC is due out next month, and it's bringing with it some pretty interesting new elements, most of which are going to ratchet up the challenge but one that will give you a second chance at survival.

Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert's next game is 'classic Zelda meets Diablo meets Thimbleweed Park'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/monkey-island-creator-ron-gilberts-next-game-is-classic-zelda-meets-diablo-meets-thimbleweed-park/
Ron Gilbert, famed for his work on classic adventures including Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken, and more recently Thimbleweed Park, is getting up to something new and that looks to be quite different from his past work. It doesn't have a name yet, but it's described on Gilbert's Terrible Toybox website as "classic Zelda meets Diablo meets Thimbleweed Park."

Nexon says sweaty FPS the Finals surpassed expectations at launch but has tailed-off badly, pledges to 'understand and address the key issues'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nexon-says-sweaty-fps-the-finals-surpassed-expectations-at-launch-but-has-tailed-off-badly-pledges-to-understand-and-address-the-key-issues/
The Finals, Embark Studios' spectacular yet sweaty multiplayer FPS, is underperforming according to publisher Nexon, as it reports a broader drop in revenue and operating income.
In an earnings letter reporting its financial performance for its first quarter of 2024 (via TechRaptor), Nexon reports that its "stronger-than-expected" revenues, which derived mainly from games like EA Sports FC Online (which it publishes in China), were "partially offset primarily by lower-than-expected performance of the Finals".

Helldivers 2 dev says patrol spawn rates are busted and that Arrowhead's walking its changes back, but 'we want to give it proper testing' to 'see that it works this time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-dev-says-patrol-spawn-rates-are-busted-and-that-arrowheads-walking-its-changes-back-but-we-want-to-give-it-proper-testing-to-see-that-it-works-this-time/
Helldivers 2's patrol rates have been a little wonky for a while. After a patch angled at making patrol spawns equitable for solo players (in other words, harder), it was revealed that said update actually just made solo diver's lives just as much of a living hell as a squad of four. Which didn't seem like the intended effect.  
Well, Arrowhead games has taken note and is trying to do something about it, as per a recent announcement by community manager Twinbeard on the game's official Discord. 

XDefiant is doing away with Skill-Based Matchmaking: 'We believe that no SBMM is paramount to a fun and varied game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/xdefiant-is-doing-away-with-skilled-based-matchmaking-we-believe-that-no-sbmm-is-paramount-to-a-fun-and-varied-game/
With XDefiant releasing next week, Ubisoft is providing a slightly better look at the FPS game and what we can expect from it. For the time being, the expectation is a wild-west scenario with every person for themselves because, apparently, there will be no skill-based matchmaking in the casual playlist. 

NieR series producer says he's doing something with the key creatives, adds with a chuckle: 'It might be NieR, it might not be NieR'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/nier-series-director-says-hes-doing-something-with-the-key-creatives-it-might-be-nier-it-might-not-be-nier/
The latest issue of venerable Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu includes an interview with Square Enix executive officer and NieR series producer Yosuke Saito (thanks Gematsu), in which he reveals they're putting the band back together. Maybe. Possibly. Look, maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

Ghost of Tsushima's crossplay function will launch with a 'beta' tag attached, prompting speculation that Sony is hoping to avoid another PSN-related fiasco
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/ghost-of-tsushimas-crossplay-function-will-launch-with-a-beta-tag-attached-prompting-speculation-that-sony-is-hoping-to-avoid-another-psn-related-fiasco/
When Ghost of Tsushima launches on PC tomorrow, you won't need a PlayStation Network account to play the game in singleplayer. But you will need one if you want to play Legends, the game's online, crossplay-inclusive multiplayer mode. There is now a question as to whether you will need one permanently, however, as port developer Nixxes has revealed the mode will launch with a 'beta' label attached.

The devs of the underplayed Marvel's Midnight Suns once more blame the game's commercial woes on the cards (I really don't think it was the cards)
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/the-devs-of-the-underplayed-marvels-midnight-suns-once-more-blame-the-games-commercial-woes-on-the-cards-i-really-dont-think-it-was-the-cards/
Marvel's Midnight Suns is an odd bug—pretty much everyone I've talked to that's played it has liked it, including PC Gamer's Jeremy Peel in his glowing review. Despite everything, though, it didn't sell nearly as well as it needed to, leading to layoffs at developer Firaxis and the departure of its creative lead.
(...)
Ask the game's developers, though, and they'll keep pointing to the cards. During GDC 2024, game director Joe Weinhoffer blamed the game's lack of mainstream success on its card mechanics, and now it's happened again in an interview with VGC. 
>> Well, I’m not a fan of card based games and that’s the reason I skipped it.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is leaking like a freshly-stabbed Samurai, as main character art sneaks online ahead of imminent reveal
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/assassins-creed-shadows-is-leaking-like-a-freshly-stabbed-samurai-as-main-character-art-sneaks-online-ahead-of-imminent-reveal/
Assassin's Creed Shadows' formal reveal is just a few hours away, but information about the feudal Japan-set sequel is still leaking through the gaps in its Yoroi armour. Two days ago, the game's official YouTube channel accidentally leaked a release date – November 15 this year, while yesterday saw prices for the game and DLC slip onto the Internet.