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

[JEMC]

Monday gaming news, part two:

HoYoverse has revealed its next game and I think this is just auto-battler Pokémon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hoyoverse-has-revealed-its-next-game-and-i-think-this-is-just-auto-battler-pokemon/
"The wealth of those societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails, presents itself as 'an immense accumulation of Pokémon.'" So remarks Marx in volume one of Capital, and he was right. Joining Palworld, Temtem, Cassette Beasts, Coromon and, well, like 400 Pokémon games is Honkai: Nexus Anima, HoYoverse's just-announced creature-hoarding sim.

EA tells Battlefield Labs testers not to leak Battlefield 6's new big map, so of course they leaked it immediately
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ea-tells-battlefield-labs-testers-not-to-leak-battlefield-6s-new-big-maps-playtest-so-of-course-they-leaked-it-immediately/
Surprising absolutely no one, the latest Battlefield 6 Labs playtest was live for just minutes this morning before people started leaking it onto the internet. Players in the test are the first to get to see and try out two of the large maps launching with Battlefield 6: Operation Firestorm (a remake of a Battlefield 3 map) and Mirak Valley, the largest of the pool.
>>***com***

Path of Exile 2 players prepare for 'the coming war' between pets as the devs add an infamous singing goblin troupe and a bird made to kill them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-players-prepare-for-the-coming-war-between-pets-as-the-devs-add-an-infamous-singing-goblin-troupe-and-a-bird-made-to-kill-them/
Most Path of Exile players agree that premium cosmetics should carry over between the two games, but they also agree that adding the annoying goblin troupe pet will be a blight on every town and player hideout as soon as today's update goes live.
But just when everyone was dreading having to hear the little band's one song setlist, Grinding Gear Games swooped in with a solution: pets with a taste for goblins.

Borderlands 4's new endgame mode will let you skip the campaign so you're ready for the next year of seasonal events and bosses
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4s-new-endgame-mode-will-let-you-skip-the-campaign-so-youre-ready-for-the-next-year-of-seasonal-events-and-bosses/
Like any good loot-based RPG, Borderlands 4 won't be over after it drops in a few weeks. Gearbox has a big plan to release a mix of free and paid DLC over the next year to keep the game's extensive endgame fresh.
The first concrete details about the endgame and the next year of updates was revealed during a panel at PAX West today.

NetEase closes studio founded by Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies veteran before it can release a single game
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/netease-closes-studio-founded-by-ultima-online-and-star-wars-galaxies-veteran-before-it-can-release-a-single-game/
T-Minus Zero Entertainment, the NetEase first-party studio founded in 2023 by veteran MMO developer Rich Vogel, has closed its doors just two years after it was founded, and without releasing a single game. NetEase told Game Developer that it has had to "reassess our business priorities," and has thus ended funding for the studio.

To help speed up unlocking those Battlefield 6 items, Battlefield 2042 is turning on the double XP hose every weekend until the new game launches
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/to-help-speed-up-unlocking-those-battlefield-6-items-battlefield-2042-is-turning-on-the-double-xp-hose-every-weekend-until-the-new-game-launches/
As Battlefield fans far and wide channel their Battlefield 6 anticipation into revisits of older chapters of the series, only one is offering goodies usable in the new game. Battlefield 2042 is hosting a "Road to Battlefield" event with a free battle pass offering new guns and 24 exclusive cosmetics for Battlefield 6.

Auto-run is enough to get me to reinstall Dune: Awakening, but customization do-overs and trainer fashion sweeten the deal
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/auto-run-is-enough-to-get-me-to-reinstall-dune-awakening-but-customization-do-overs-and-trainer-fashion-sweeten-the-deal/
I will neither confirm nor deny that I was among those miffed that a powerplanning mistake got their base pillaged and destroyed in Dune: Awakening, but I will say auto-run sure could make the recovery process from such an error less painful. Funcom must've heard that complaint more than once too, as Dune: Awakening has a new auto-run toggle on the way.

Schedule 1's Rival Cartel update solves its biggest problem, and the patch is live now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/schedule-1s-rival-cartel-update-solves-its-biggest-problem-and-the-beta-is-available-now/
Recent updates
August 29, 2025: The Schedule 1 Rival Cartel update is finally live, so you can swap over from the beta and back to the main build. If you need help with the process, I've updated our guide below with those steps, along with updates to our list covering what's new.
>> This is an update to an article posted last Tuesday.

Darkest Dungeon 2's latest update adds bloodsucking bug-people to its grand campaign mode, and you can try the sequel for free this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/darkest-dungeon-2s-latest-update-adds-bloodsucking-bug-people-to-its-grand-campaign-mode-and-you-can-try-the-sequel-for-free-this-weekend/
Darkest Dungeon 2 has spent the last year plus change building out its Kingdoms mode. This transforms the party-based roguelike into a more open-ended strategy experience, folding in several features from the original game in the process. It's gone down relatively well with players, helping to bridge the divides in opinion over some controversial design decisions Red Hook made for the sequel.
Now, the developers have released a new update for Darkest Dungeon 2, which primarily adds a new module (campaign) to the Kingdoms mode. Curse of the Court sees your Kingdom infested by vampiric bug-people with a taste for haemoglobin, Regency-era attire, and giving the people they feed on a horrible curse. The module challenges you to find a cure for the curse and oust the bloodsuckers from your lands before they drain your Kingdom dry (and exhaust your supply of powdered wigs).
>> The free weekend ends later today, but I already told you about it last Friday.

No More Room in Hell 2 delays its 1.0 launch into 2026, confirms that 'child zombies will not be present in the final product' just in case you were wondering
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/no-more-room-in-hell-2-delays-its-1-0-launch-into-2026-confirms-that-child-zombies-will-not-be-present-in-the-final-product-just-in-case-you-were-wondering/
Torn Banner has delayed the 1.0 launch of No More Room in Hell 2, the cooperative zombie survival sim that was released into early access in October last year. Originally slated to shamble out of alpha development exactly one year later, it'll now see its full launch in the first half of 2026.

Atomfall's second story DLC will see you hunted by an absolutely furious robot among some War of the Worlds-style red weed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/atomfalls-second-story-dlc-will-see-you-hunted-by-an-absolutely-furious-robot-among-some-war-of-the-worlds-style-red-weed/
Atomfall is getting a second helping of story DLC in September, following the release of its Wicker-Man themed Wicked Isle. Titled The Red Strain, this time War of the Worlds seems to be the British cultural touchstone developer Rebellion is riffing off, as the expansion sees you investigating a "highly confidential new location" infested by strange crimson vegetation.

A Star Trek: Voyager survival strategy game (yes, Voyager) is coming that lets you 'what if?' the series
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/a-star-trek-voyager-survival-strategy-game-yes-voyager-is-coming-that-lets-you-what-if-the-series/
You probably couldn't have predicted this one. Of all the things Star Trek that could be a game, it's 24-years-gone series Star Trek: Voyager that's getting the treatment with a game that'll put you in charge of the lost ship's journey home.

Chill simulation strategy game Plan B: Terraform has hit 1.0
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/chill-simulation-strategy-game-plan-b-terraform-is-out-now-has-you-take-a-planet-from-bare-rock-to-flourishing-with-life/
Sometimes you don't want to go too hard, you just want a nice little game where you transform a million hexagons of barren oblate spheroid into a lush new home for humankind with an atmosphere, plants, and animals. Is that too much to ask? It's not, it turns out, because after a couple years in early access Plan B: Terraform has hit 1.0.

Astroneer is getting an expansion that'll let you build huge megastructures
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/astroneer-is-getting-an-expansion-thatll-let-you-build-huge-megastructures/
Approaching its tenth year out, exploration and crafting hit Astroneer shows no signs of slowing down as developer System Era Softworks has announced a new full, paid expansion called Astroneer: Megatech. It's due out this November, with an accompanying free update, and will bring a new scale of construction to your exploratory infrastructure.

'I would like to make a different game using this IP': Dave the Diver dev hints at possible spin-off or sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/i-would-like-to-make-a-different-game-using-this-ip-dave-the-diver-dev-hints-at-possible-spin-off-or-sequel/
A new game set in the same universe as Dave the Diver could be in the works at developer Mintrocket. In an interview with 4Gamer at the Nexon Developers Conference, Mintrocket CEO Jaeho Hwang dove into the studio's future, including its plans for Dave the Diver, which seem to extend beyond DLC.