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

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The second part of the gaming news:

Escape From Tarkov player makes world-first escape from Tarkov
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/escape-from-tarkov-player-makes-world-first-escape-from-tarkov/
I'd always assumed that Escape From Tarkov was just a catchy name and not something anyone could actually do—unless you're speaking metaphorically, I suppose: The bullet that frees you from the weight and horror of this cold, rotting world, and all that. But no, you can escape from Tarkov, and just over two weeks after the game finally went into full release, someone did it.
That "someone" is Tigz, a longtime Tarkov streamer who accomplished the feat on December 1. Developer Battlestate Games confirmed on social media that Tigz was in fact the first to get the job done.

Attention survival game sickos: you can be among the first to playtest the sequel to one of my favorite survival RPGs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/attention-survival-game-sickos-you-can-be-among-the-first-to-playtest-the-sequel-to-one-of-my-favorite-survival-rpgs/
I loved 2019's Outward. The fantasy RPG from Nine Dots Studio embraced survival in a way few RPGs do, making everything from casting a basic spell to packing for a trip between cities a methodical and thoughtful process. Even its permalife system, which sounds forgiving—you don't die if you lose a fight, you lose consciousness and wake up elsewhere—meant you had to live with your decisions and failures, no matter how painful they were.
Here's some exciting news for all you survival sickos who loved the challenge of Outward: you can play Outward 2 this month. Not the whole game: that's planned for next year. But you can take part in the Outward 2 playtest that will run from December 9 - December 15. The alpha playtest will let you visit one of its cities, Haboob, and the surrounding region of Bellowgale.

IO Interactive says that, once Bond is out of the way, hell yeah we're getting back to the good stuff: 'Of course there's going to be a next Hitman'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/io-interactive-says-that-once-bond-is-out-of-the-way-hell-yeah-were-getting-back-to-the-good-stuff-of-course-theres-going-to-be-a-next-hitman/
IO Interactive recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its flagship series Hitman, which has certainly been on a journey. (...)
"Of course there will be more Hitman," says Abrak. "But right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you'll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination. But we will, after that, be talking about the next Hitman—because, of course, there's going to be a next Hitman."

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games will be in serious trouble if its next release isn't a hit: 'It's make-or-break for sure'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/shovel-knight-developer-yacht-club-games-will-be-in-serious-trouble-if-its-next-release-isnt-a-hit-its-make-or-break-for-sure/
Shovel Knight was a major indie hit, with more than three million copies sold, an "overwhelmingly positive" rating on Steam, and a brand so recognizable it's spawned spinoffs and crossovers with games ranging from Bloodstained to For Honor. But in the 10 years since Shovel Knight first appeared, developer Yacht Club Games has struggled to produce a full-on follow-up hit, and in a new interview with Bloomberg, studio founder Cris Velasco says it will be in serious trouble if its next game isn't a success.

The Marathon art theft debacle has been 'resolved to my satisfaction,' according to the artist Bungie stole from
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-marathon-art-theft-debacle-has-been-resolved-to-my-satisfaction-according-to-the-artist-bungie-stole-from/
The artist whose work was stolen to develop the look of Marathon, Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter, says it's all water under the bridge.
"The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction," wrote artist Antireal on X today.

Epic bans indie horror game Horses just one day before launch due to 'inappropriate content', despite having approved that content weeks ago
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/epic-bans-indie-horror-game-horses-just-one-day-before-launch-due-to-inappropriate-content-despite-having-approved-that-content-weeks-ago/
A week after the indie horror game Horses was banned from Steam, and just one day before it was set to launch elsewhere, Epic Games has decided that it too will not allow the game to be sold on its storefront. Publisher Santa Ragione said in a blog update that Epic informed it of the decision at 5 pm CET/11 am ET on December 1, saying the game violates its policies on "inappropriate content" and "hateful or abusive content."

Like a Dragon creators won't buckle to mainstream western tastes: 'people start making strange things when they misunderstand what their business is supposed to be'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/like-a-dragon-creators-wont-buckle-to-mainstream-western-tastes-people-start-making-strange-things-when-they-misunderstand-what-their-business-is-supposed-to-be/
The Yakuza series has spawned well over a dozen games since it debuted in 2005, and I haven't included any of the substantial remasters in that figure. As prolific as Ryu Ga Gotoku is, they're also remarkably consistent: the same bonkers mix of melodrama and absurd humour is threaded through every one of these games, even the ones set in the 17th century.
It's a formula that took a while to cotton on outside of Japan: it didn't really land as a big commercial success in the west until 2015's Yakuza 0. And that game landed loudly, despite making no overt compromises for western audiences.
But now that western audiences are paying attention, will Ryu Ga Gotoku indulge them more? It seems unlikely, according to a new Automaton interview with three RGG Studio big wigs. Asked whether the studio might abandon its credo of "making what feels true to RGG Studio" in the event that their games became huge global concerns, series executive producer Yokoyama Masayoshi was unequivocal.
>> Good decision.

It turns out Saudi Arabia will own 93.4 percent of EA if the buyout goes through, which is effectively all of it
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/it-turns-out-saudi-arabia-will-own-93-4-percent-of-ea-if-the-buyout-goes-through-which-is-effectively-all-of-it/
When EA announced in October that it will go private via a $55 billion leveraged buyout, a consortium of three investment firms were listed as buyers: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake. A breakdown of the ownership between these parties wasn't given at the time, but as it turns out, one is committing significantly more cash than the others.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the PIF will own 93.4 percent of EA—a gargantuan amount that renders the other stakeholders insignificant by comparison. Silver Lake and Affinity Partners are set to own 5.5% and 1.1%, both of whom PIF is also a "significant investor" in.

Latest viral Game Awards tease could be teasing any videogame with hellish imagery from the last 70 years of the medium, but it's probably Elder Scrolls Online
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/latest-viral-game-awards-tease-could-be-teasing-any-videogame-with-hellish-imagery-from-the-last-70-years-of-the-medium-but-its-probably-elder-scrolls-online/
Game Awards host Geoff Keighley posted a cryptic image on X on Monday, showing a hellish monument in a desert locale, accompanied by the text regal.inspiring.thickness. If you plug those three words into a website called What3Words, a map appears showing a location somewhere near Joshua Tree in California. If you visit that location, you'll see the viral artefact in question, just like YouTuber KingVision18 has done.
(...)
Speculation over what Game Awards announcement it's designed to tease has been endless ever since, but we know at least one thing: it's not the next God of War, as series director Cory Barlog confirmed himself. Meanwhile, journalist Jason Schreier writes on the ResetEra forum that it's not a Diablo 4 expansion.

How to watch the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass on December 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/how-to-watch-the-pc-gaming-show-most-wanted-powered-by-xbox-game-pass-on-december-4/
Friends, countrymen, PC Gamers, it's very nearly time for the return of the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass, our a-few-times-a-year showcase that promises to bring you the latest and greatest in PC games.
(...)
Hosted by regular host and esports legend Frankie Ward, PC Gamer's own Midas, and with the vocal talents of Baldur's Gate 3 and Hades 2's Amelia Tyler, it's promising to be a good show. Trust me, I was there when we filmed it. On a spaceship.
The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted stream will air on Thursday December 4, 2025, at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET