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

[JEMC]

Part two, and last, of the Friday gaming news:

After getting dumped by EA, FIFA's finally back with its own football game starring… animal mascots?
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/after-getting-dumped-by-ea-fifas-finally-back-with-its-own-football-game-starring-animal-mascots/
In early 2022 EA announced what many had expected for a while: it was ending its licensing deal with FIFA, the world football governing body, and re-branding its incredibly successful FIFA series as EA Sports FC. At the time EA was at least gracious towards its former partner, but FIFA wasn't in any mood to play nice.
"I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans," thundered FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the time. "The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on—the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain THE BEST."
(...)
I always thought the most logical next step for FIFA would be partnering with Konami's eFootball, which remains the most likely competitor to EA Sports FC (even if it's currently in the doldrums). But an actual football game featuring actual 11-a-side matches with actual clubs and players? That's far too straightforward for FIFA, which has now announced its next game is called FIFA Heroes and stars a bunch of animal mascots.

With Xbox hiking prices and a newly private, $20-billion-in-the-hole EA looking ready to gut Baldur's Gate series creator BioWare, Larian boss Swen Vincke points out that 'making games faster and cheaper while charging more has never worked before'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/with-xbox-hiking-prices-and-a-newly-private-usd20-billion-in-the-hole-ea-looking-ready-to-gut-baldurs-gate-series-creator-bioware-larian-boss-swen-vincke-points-out-that-making-games-faster-and-cheaper-while-charging-more-has-never-worked-before/
As reported by GamesRadar, Larian studio head and Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke has taken to Twitter to remark on the state of the industry following Microsoft's Game Pass price hike and EA's purchase by private equity and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, a deal that seems destined to bury Baldur's Gate series creator BioWare.

Amnesia creator Frictional Games teases its next game, and it may be something new but it sure feels like SOMA
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/amnesia-creator-frictional-games-teases-its-next-game-and-it-may-be-something-new-but-it-sure-feels-like-soma/
Frictional Games, the videogame horrorsmiths responsible for the Penumbra, Amnesia, and SOMA games, is teasing something new—and yes, as you might expect, it looks creepy as hell.
The clip that appeared yesterday on YouTube, entitled Frictional_Next_Project.mp4, is actually the culmination of an ARG that, as laid out by Polygon, began last week with a small update to SOMA. Released on September 22, the patch "fixed faulty spam filters on Simon’s PC," according to the patch notes, which warned that "users may still receive suspicious correspondence due to treemail 0.1 filtering process issues."

One of my favorite survival city builders is leaving early access this month, so here's your chance to buy it before the price goes up
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/one-of-my-favorite-survival-city-builders-is-leaving-early-access-this-month-so-heres-your-chance-to-buy-it-before-the-price-goes-up/
September sure was chock full o' city builders, but wait, there's more! October has a treat in store for all you aspiring mayors, too: survival city builder Farthest Frontier is busting out of early access and going full version 1.0 later this month.

Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM unionizes in the UK: 'We like being here. We want to continue being here. So let's try and get a seat at the table in the big management meetings'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/disco-elysium-studio-za-um-unionizes-in-the-uk-we-like-being-here-we-want-to-continue-being-here-so-lets-try-and-get-a-seat-at-the-table-in-the-big-management-meetings/
Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM has unionized. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, representatives of the studio's new Workers' Alliance, as well as company president Ed Tomaszewski, announced the formation of the union and its voluntary recognition by studio management. The announcement comes as ZA/UM has finally started showing off its second game, the upcoming spy RPG Zero Parades, set to release in 2026.

The guy who says 'Toasty!' in Mortal Kombat has left NetherRealm after more than 30 years with the team
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/the-guy-who-says-toasty-in-mortal-kombat-has-left-netherrealm-after-more-than-30-years-with-the-team/
NetherRealm audio director Dan Forden has left the studio after 15 years, where he's worked since its founding in April 2010—although since NetherRealm was a rebadged Midway Chicago, it's perhaps more accurate to say that he's left after 36 years. Forden's first game credit, for sound, is on the 1989 Midway arcade basketball game Arch Rivals. He's most famous for being the voice (and face) of one of the most random but iconic soundbites in gaming history: yelling "Toasty!" when you uppercut someone in Mortal Kombat.

One of my most anticipated shooters, which looks like Demon's Souls in the Doom engine, finally has a release date right around the corner
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/one-of-my-most-anticipated-shooters-which-looks-like-demons-souls-in-the-doom-engine-finally-has-a-release-date-right-around-the-corner/
Mohrta is an incredibly cool, cryptic, sci-fi/fantasy FPS that once again proves there might just be no limit to what you can do on the venerable Doom (or GZDoom) engine. In a new trailer, developers Scumhead and Osiol have revealed that we don't have long to wait for the full game: Mohrta will release on Steam October 14.

'The industry isn't dying, it's splitting into two different models': What experts are saying about the EA buyout
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-industry-isnt-dying-its-splitting-into-two-different-models-what-experts-are-saying-about-the-ea-buyout/
The leveraged buyout of EA, which will see private equity firms and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund take control of the megapublisher for $55 billion (and saddle it with $20 billion in debt), has us all wondering what the new owners are going to do with it.
As games industry analyst Mat Piscatella said this week, no one really knows, but the speculation we're hearing from analysts and corporate finance experts is that EA's new owners aren't likely to shake things up in the immediate future, and will probably do what you'd expect: focus on its existing live service moneymakers as it pays off that $20 billion in debt.

The 43rd Golden Joystick Awards shortlist is out, and just looking at the indie list alone, I can tell it's going to be a tough year
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-43rd-golden-joystick-awards-shortlist-is-out-and-just-looking-at-the-indie-list-alone-i-can-tell-its-going-to-be-a-tough-year/
The 43rd Golden Joystick Awards' shortlist has just been revealed, and the voting is now open, but the hardest part has only just begun. This year, there are 21 categories, such as PC Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, and Best Indie Game, all of which are completely stacked with stand-out games—it'll be almost impossible to pick between them.

Emperor of overpromising Peter Molyneux says he's done with games after Masters of Albion, which is also his 'redemption title'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/emperor-of-overpromising-peter-molyneux-says-hes-done-with-games-after-masters-of-albion-which-is-also-his-redemption-title/
Ah, Peter Molyneux. The games industry's premier promiser taught me a valuable lesson when I was young: never believe in anything. Ironically, he did that with Fable 2—generally recognised to be one of the best of his games. I had let him get me so hyped for it that when it came out and was merely 'pretty good,' I was crushed..
But future generations will have to learn this lesson from someone else. Probably in Roblox or something. Why? Because Molyneux recently sat down with Edge to reflect on a long career of making extravagant promises about acorns, and in the process he mentioned that, yeah, his upcoming game, Masters of Albion, is going to be his last.

With no new deals at GOG or Steam, there's only one more thing to say: I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.