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

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Wednesday news, part two:

I've been shown Remnant 2's third (and largest) DLC The Dark Horizon, as well as its free roguelike Boss Rush mode and endgame progression system—and it's Gunfire Games' biggest flex so far
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/i-ve-been-shown-remnant-2-s-third-and-largest-dlc-the-dark-horizon-as-well-as-its-free-roguelike-boss-rush-mode-and-endgame-progression-system-and-it-s-gunfire-games-biggest-flex-so-far/
Remnant 2 was one of my favourite games from last year, in part because it knows exactly what it wants to do, does it very well, and doesn't overstay its welcome. It continued to impress with its DLC The Awakened King and The Forgotten Kingdom. Both offer an expansion to the game's core systems—new classes and items—as well as a solid 5-8 hour campaign for a very reasonable price ($10/£8.50 a pop).
The only problem, as I highlighted when it came to The Forgotten Kingdom, is that these DLCs are hard to talk about from a journalistic point of view because, well, they're more of the same (...)
I don't have that problem this time around, though. I got to sit down with principal designer Ben "Tragic" Cureton and principal level designer Cindy To, and I'm pleased to report that while The Dark Horizon does look poised to pile more gravy on your potatoes, it also feels like Gunfire Games' biggest flex in terms of content yet—ending the trio of promised DLC with both a whole new endgame progression system as well as a new roguelike game mode—which are both free, by the way.

Fallout 76's brahmin escort mission is finally available, so you can start fighting off deathclaws and mole people to grow your new outpost
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-76s-brahim-escort-mission-is-finally-available-so-you-can-start-fighting-off-deathclaws-and-mole-people-to-grow-your-new-outpost/
We've been waiting for the brahmin escort missions ever since Fallout 76's Milepost Zero update was announced alongside the Skyline Valley update earlier this year, and now, months later, it's finally out. 

GTA Online finally gets BattlEye anti-cheat, and some fans think it's a sign of bigger things to come
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/gta-online-finally-gets-battleye-anti-cheat-and-some-fans-think-its-a-sign-of-bigger-things-to-come/
Nine years after it arrived on PC, Rockstar's multiplayer murder and mayhem sim Grand Theft Auto Online has integrated BattlEye anti-cheat software.
Simply put, BattlEye aims to keep people in online games from doing things they're not supposed to. That's been an ongoing problem in GTA Online for many years, and a real challenge for Rockstar: Cheaters suck and GTAO is often a goat rodeo, but roleplaying servers enabled by mods are also a big part of what makes GTA Online so popular. 
>> The problem is that BattlEye doesn’t work on Linux unless you do something about it, something that Rockstar hasn’t done. Sorry Steam Deck players!

Skate will frontside pop shuvit into early access in 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/skate-will-frontside-pop-shuvit-into-early-access-in-2025/
Ready your fragile skeletons, virtual skaters: Skate will launch in early access in 2025, as announced earlier today in a tweet from the official Skate account on X. "We're incredibly stoked to announce that skate. will be launching in Early Access in 2025. We'll share more details on what to expect in the coming months," developer Full Circle said. Personally, I expect skating. 

'The game is absolutely not dying': XDefiant boss rejects claims that Ubisoft's shooter is struggling to find players
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-game-is-absolutely-not-dying-xdefiant-boss-rejects-claims-that-ubisofts-shooter-is-struggling-to-find-players/
Ubisoft has forcefully denied claims that its free-to-play FPS XDefiant is struggling to find players, saying in its year one update that while there's always room for improvement on the technical and content sides, the game itself is "doing well."

The next Battlefield game has been in 'nearly daily' playtesting for 'well over a year,' and a large-scale community test is planned for early 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-next-battlefield-game-has-been-in-nearly-daily-playtesting-for-well-over-a-year-and-a-large-scale-community-test-is-planned-for-early-2025/
At a big show put on for EA investors today, Battlefield GM Byron Beede announced that some variety of public playtesting for the next Battlefield game will start early next year, and revealed what each Battlefield studio is working on

The next Sims game is doing invite-only multiplayer testing this fall
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-5-is-doing-invite-only-multiplayer-testing-this-fall/
It's been about a year since we've heard anything about the development of The Sims 5, and while there still isn't any real news about it, there's news that news is coming soon…ish. 
In a new blog post today, Maxis talked about a lot of preparations happening for the 25th anniversary of the series coming in February. It confirmed that there's definitely a Sims movie in the works, talked about plans to start co-developing small DLC kits with modders, and gave a small mention to invite-only tests for the next Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, happening this season.

There won't actually be a Sims 5 because EA is going to 'disrupt the sequel model' by shoving The Sims 4, Project Rene, and two other games into one 'massive Sims platform'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/there-wont-actually-be-a-sims-5-because-ea-is-going-to-disrupt-the-sequel-model-by-shoving-the-sims-4-project-rene-and-two-other-games-into-one-massive-sims-platform/
Project Rene, the codename for the next major Sims game, isn't cancelled. In fact, EA will be doing some closed multiplayer testing this fall. But the in-development game we've occasionally called "The Sims 5" isn't actually The Sims 5 at all, it says. Project Rene and The Sims 4 are both going to be part of "the Sims universe" for the foreseeable future.
During an Electronic Arts investor presentation today, EA entertainment & technology president Laura Miele gave a much more thorough breakdown of The Sims series' future than normally comes out of investor-facing presentations.

EA says giving videogame characters 'life and persistence' outside of games with AI is a 'profound opportunity,' which is the kind of talk that leads to dangerous Holodeck malfunctions
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ea-says-giving-videogame-characters-life-and-persistence-outside-of-games-is-a-profound-opportunity-which-is-the-kind-of-talk-that-leads-to-dangerous-holodeck-malfunctions/
Like so many other companies, EA is going all-in on generative AI. At an investor's conference today, the game development giant talked at length about the ways AI is supposed to transform its business, and chief strategy officer Mihir Vaidya demoed some of the generative AI concepts the company has been working on.

EA says it's got a 3rd and final Star Wars Jedi game cooking in speech to imperial senate of investors—oh, and 40 million people have played the first 2 already
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/ea-says-its-got-a-3rd-and-final-star-wars-jedi-game-cooking-in-speech-to-imperial-senate-of-investorsoh-and-its-made-dollar5-billion-off-the-first-2-already/
Good news, gang: We're finally gonna put an end to these Star Wars. Specifically, an end to the tales of the most tastefully mulleted Jedi to ever grace the galaxy, Cal Kestis. EA's announced that the conclusion to its Star Wars Jedi trilogy is in the works, and that "Respawn is working hard to bring the final chapter of this thrilling story to players."