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

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Friday gaming news, part two:

Tomonobu Itagaki, the Tecmo genius behind Team Ninja, has died at the age of 58
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/tomonobu-itagaki-the-tecmo-genius-behind-team-ninja-has-died-at-the-age-of-58/
Tomonobu Itagaki has died at the age of 58 following a serious illness. Itagaki was an absolutely transformative figure in contemporary action games thanks to his work at Tecmo, the company he joined in 1992: he led Team Ninja and spearheaded the revival of Ninja Gaiden, as well as creating the Dead or Alive series. He would leave Tecmo under a cloud in 2008, before founding Valhalla Game Studios and releasing Devil's Third on Wii U.
>> Leynos made a thread about his passing yesterday.

Diablo 4 as you know it is about to change again as Blizzard drops an expansion's worth of changes to its loot and combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/diablo-4-season-11-update-changes-explained/
Once again, Diablo 4 is about to change in a big way. The list of permanent updates Blizzard plans to implement in its next season bring foundational reworks to loot and combat that will trickle down into the rest of the game.
All of it will be on the PTR next week to test out, but so far it seems like Diablo 4 is about to become a tougher but more satisfying action RPG. Monsters will be meaner and your gear will be more customizable to help you face them. Old systems are returning in new ways and leaderboards are finally back.

Saudi Arabia's acquisition of Electronic Arts faces pushback from game developers, petition calls on FTC to 'scrutinize this deal closely'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/saudi-arabias-acquisition-of-electronic-arts-faces-pushback-from-game-developers-petition-calls-on-ftc-to-scrutinize-this-deal-closely/
The $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and private equity firms is facing more pushback, as the United Videogame Workers-CWA union has put out a statement calling on regulators and lawmakers to "ensure that any path forward protects jobs, preserves creative freedom, and keeps decision-making accountable to the workers who make EA successful."

Dwarf Fortress is getting a siege update in November with goblin battering rams and defense-destroying troll engineers that'll dismantle over a decade of dwarven siege strategy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/dwarf-fortress-is-getting-a-siege-update-in-november-with-goblin-battering-rams-and-defense-destroying-troll-engineers-thatll-dismantle-over-a-decade-of-dwarven-siege-strategy/
While they've been a terror for countless fledgling fortbuilders, goblin sieges in Dwarf Fortress become predictably trivial once you've got a good amount of mountainhome management under your belt. That's about to change: On November 3, Dwarf Fortress gets its awaited Siege update, and a lot of dwarves are going to be a lot less safe.

Gamers hand Ubisoft a rare 'W' as The Crew 2's offline mode finally goes live
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/gamers-hand-ubisoft-a-rare-w-as-the-crew-2s-offline-mode-finally-goes-live/
It took more than a year to make it happen, but the promised offline mode for The Crew 2 is finally here. "Hybrid Mode," as it's officially known, lets players switch between online and offline play at will, ensuring the game will remain accessible even when the remote servers are gone.

The Borderlands 4 update that's going to take away your infinite-bleed god-knife is delayed until next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-borderlands-4-update-thats-going-to-take-away-your-infinite-bleed-god-knife-is-delayed-until-next-week/
The Borderlands 4 update that will usher in a range of balance fixes and performance improvements is taking a little longer than expected, and so will not roll out this week as planned but will instead arrive "early next week."

The top 50 demos of Steam Next Fest feature competitive typing, first-person cigarette smoking, a giant menacing cube, and 2 convenience stores where nobody should shop
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-top-50-demos-of-steam-next-fest-feature-competitive-typing-first-person-cigarette-smoking-a-giant-menacing-cube-and-2-convenience-stores-where-nobody-should-shop/
Steam Next Fests are as delightful as they are overstimulating: There are so many interesting new games to sample, but there are so many new games to sample. That's why we like to take stock after a couple days of demos to see which attracted the most attention—and what that leaves our wishlists looking like.
The top 50 most played demos from this season's tastings show that no matter what your preferences are, you'll probably find something promising to try. We've got extraction shooters, racing managers, turn-based and realtime strategy, and a skateboarding demon made out of glass. PC gaming is anything but a monoculture.

Former Assassin's Creed boss says he did not leave voluntarily: 'I stayed at my post until Ubisoft asked me to step aside'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-assassins-creed-boss-says-he-did-not-leave-voluntarily-i-stayed-at-my-post-until-ubisoft-asked-me-to-step-aside/
A day after Ubisoft confirmed his departure, former Assassin's Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Côté says he did not choose to leave the company, but was asked to step aside by leadership after being offered a reduced role at Ubisoft's new Vantage Studios subsidiary.

Total War: Warhammer 3's Tides of Torment DLC will be out on the same day as 'a special showcase event where the future of the franchise will be revealed'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/total-war-warhammer-3s-tides-of-torment-dlc-will-be-out-on-the-same-day-as-a-special-showcase-event-where-the-future-of-the-franchise-will-be-revealed/
When Creative Assembly announced it was ending support for Total War: Three Kingdoms it did so by saying "we are now looking at the future of Three Kingdoms", so when it announced that Warhammer 3's next DLC will be released on the same day as a 25th anniversary celebration where "the future of the franchise will be revealed", you can be forgiven for flinching.
But it doesn't seem like this is the death knell for Total War: Warhammer 3. If anything, it's a reason to hope it can be dragged out of the Slough of Despond that led to its recent review-bombing. At least we got a cinematic trailer for Tides of Torment that looks sick as hell.

Battlefield 6's lethargic progression is getting a much-needed overhaul, but Portal is unsurprisingly paying the price after we all abused it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6s-lethargic-progression-is-getting-a-much-needed-overhaul-but-portal-is-unsurprisingly-paying-the-price-after-we-all-abused-it/
One of the biggest complaints lobbed at Battlefield 6 so far is that its progression systems are painfully slow. In fact, I complained about it just yesterday, and how it could impact Season 1. Career ranks aren't too bad, but they currently gate progression for important assignments for new guns and gadgets. Weapon XP, on the other hand, is frustratingly slow, which has only exacerbated tensions around the random bullet deviation epidemic that even the best guns suffer from.
Thankfully, Battlefield Studios has answered our calls and is implementing a number of substantial changes "to go live within the next week" to quicken the pace of progression: "Our goals here are to make the progression experience feel smoother and more rewarding while still keeping that sense of achievement when you complete a milestone like fully mastering a weapon."
>> They’re also trying to find a balance between new and old players when it comes to movement mechanics (link). Oh! And they’re rolling back the changes made to Conquest (link).

Nightdive puts out surprise 'definitive' update for 30-year-old I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/nightdive-puts-out-surprise-definitive-update-for-30-year-old-i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream/
As a man who lives with one foot firmly in the past, little excites me more than an old game suddenly getting some out-of-the-blue new update. Obsidian suddenly returning to Pillars of Eternity 1 earlier this year? Pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me. And now Nightdive has sprung up to slap a "definitive" update on ancient adventure game I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. This is a year of three Christmases for ol' Josh.

PC Gamer is joining Dames 4 Games for its spooky Halloween monster mash, Ghouls 4 Games, which includes a showcase, Steam event, and fundraising streams
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/pc-gamer-is-joining-dames-4-games-for-its-spooky-halloween-monster-mash-ghouls-4-games-which-includes-a-showcase-steam-event-and-fundraising-streams/
PC Gamer's proud to announce that we'll be joining up with Dames 4 Games (alongside Twitch and Steam) to celebrate women and femme-led studios this Halloween.
Dames 4 Games (D4G), a non-profit organisation that promotes the work of women and femme-led studios in the gaming industry. We're talking digital showcases, charity streams and fundraisers, and mentorship programs—in other words, all good work. Ghouls 4 Games will take that good work in a pair of stick-on vampire teeth for the spookiest season with three major events between October 24 and November 7.

And these are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• Fallout Day Sale is here with up to 75% discounts to the games during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20251017_fallout_day
• Klabater Publisher Sale comes with games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20251017_klabater_publisher_sale

+Steam

• F1 25 is going to be free to try during the weekend and will be 30% off until Tuesday, the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3059520/F1_25
• Pacific Drive will have a 50% discount until the 23rd of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1458140/Pacific_Drive
• Return of the Obra Dinn will also be 50% off until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_Dinn
• Star Wars Outlaws, that has a demo, will have a 50% discount until October 23 as well: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2842040/Star_Wars_Outlaws
• DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS is going to be 60% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/965230/DORAEMON__STORY_OF_SEASONS
• N++ (NPLUSPLUS) gets a 75% discount until Thursday, the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/230270/N_NPLUSPLUS
• City of Gangsters will be 82% off until October, the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1386780/City_of_Gangsters
• MORDHAU is the last of the deals that will end on the 23rd, but it will do so afret being free to try during the weekend and with an 85% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/629760/MORDHAU
•  Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, that has a demo, is going to be 55% off until the 25th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_2
• Necesse celebrates reaching version 1.0 with a 50% discount until the 30th of October, : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1169040/Necesse
• These are the new Sales/events:
  • Yakuza/Like a Dragon Franchise Sale will have games up to 80% off until the 23rd of October: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LikeaDragonFranchiseSale2025
  • WB Games Sale features up to 90% discounts until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/wbpubsale2025
  • Developer weltenbauer celebrates a sale putting its four games (plus DLCs) up to 70% off. The deals of three games will end on the 20th, but the deals of the other one will last until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32942452/sale/weltenbauer

And that’s it for this week. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.