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

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The one and only part two of the Tuesday gaming news:

World of Warcraft players are already discovering new tech with its player housing—turns out, you can sit anywhere as long as you're able to fit a chair inside
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-players-are-already-discovering-new-tech-with-its-player-housing-turns-out-you-can-sit-anywhere-as-long-as-youre-able-to-fit-a-chair-inside/
World of Warcraft's player housing has hit the live servers—as long as you've purchased Midnight—and players are already having a blast making all kinds of nonsense. Also, they've found out secret, illicit (not really) wizard tech for being able to sit anywhere.

Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding was 'too unique', OD's going to be 'completely different', but Physint's an espionage game so 'you can make it in your sleep'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/hideo-kojima-says-death-stranding-was-too-unique-ods-going-to-be-completely-different-but-physints-an-espionage-game-so-you-can-make-it-in-your-sleep/
It's been a busy old year for Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions, with the release of Death Stranding 2 earlier this year (the inevitable PC version is yet to be given a release date), two film adaptations of the series—one live action, one animated—in the works, as well as an anime being cooked up at Disney+. Oh yeah, there's also the three other games the company has in development: horror title OD, espionage game PhysInt, and an untitled collaboration with Niantic (of Pokemon GO fame).
Kojima's been doing a round of interviews to see out the year, and the latest with the Japanese outlet Ananweb sees him reflecting on all of these game projects. As ever, Kojima says he doesn't think of Death Stranding 2 as "finished" because "I actually wanted to continue until around September."

The effort to canonize a Steam tag for the world's 'survivorslikes' and 'bullet heavens' intensifies with a public poll and celebratory sale aiming to finally settle on a name for the misfit genre
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-effort-to-canonize-a-steam-tag-for-the-worlds-survivorslikes-and-bullet-heavens-intensifies-with-a-public-poll-and-celebratory-sale-aiming-to-finally-settle-on-a-name-for-the-misfit-genre/
Of all the ideological struggles pervading our world today, none is more crucial than the effort to decide what we should actually call all the games like Vampire Survivors. This week, more than 450 developers are joining forces to solve that frustrating quandary of categorical nomenclature with a public survey aiming to finally settle on a Steam tag for the genre that's been variously referred to as bullet heaven games, survivorslikes, and—apologies—"auto-attacking wave-based survival games." Hopefully it's not the last one.

'We're not doing a good enough job [with Portal] right now': Battlefield 6 dev says players are making 'fantastic' creations that nobody is seeing because of a 'technical issue'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/were-not-doing-a-good-enough-job-with-portal-right-now-battlefield-6-dev-says-players-are-making-fantastic-creations-that-nobody-is-seeing-because-of-a-technical-issue/
When I sat down to chat with Ripple Effect studio design director Justin Wiebe last week, we'd planned to talk RedSec. Wiebe helped lead the charge on Battlefield 6's battle royale mode developed primarily at the Los Angeles-based Ripple Effect, but on the day, we ended up chatting more about Portal—its expansive feature set, boundless potential, and why Battlefield Studios isn't currently doing enough to elevate community creations.

Path of Exile 2 director is on a 'quest to make the perfect action RPG' and isn't afraid to borrow from Path of Exile 1 to pull it off
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-director-is-on-a-quest-to-make-the-perfect-action-rpg-and-isnt-afraid-to-borrow-from-path-of-exile-1-to-pull-it-off/
Jonathan Rogers, one of the co-founders of the studio behind Path of Exile, isn't afraid to call his own game too old to be the perfect action RPG. The first PoE had its moment and now it lives comfortably on updates made to please its most dedicated fans. It's not going anywhere, but it's also not going to be the next big thing.
Path of Exile 2, however, could be the game at the end of Rogers' "quest to make the perfect ARPG," he told PC Gamer in a recent interview. Despite its differences to PoE 1, some of which have gone away over the last year in early access, "it was never really about making it feel distinct," he says.

The Game Awards reveals fan-voted Players' Voice nominees, and I'm sorry to say that Megabonk is once again out of the show
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-game-awards-reveals-fan-voted-players-voice-nominees-and-im-sorry-to-say-that-megabonk-is-once-again-out-of-the-show/
The final nominees for the Players' Voice category at The Game Awards 2025 have been announced, and I'm sorry to say that indie darling Megabonk is—again—out of the running. And this time, there's no coming back.

Shenmue studio threatens legal action over an apparently faked Shenmue 4 trailer, which it says 'has absolutely no connection to Ys Net'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/shenmue-studio-threatens-legal-action-over-an-apparently-faked-shenmue-4-trailer-which-it-says-has-absolutely-no-connection-to-ys-net/
Our rundown of what to expect from this year's edition of The Game Awards includes a brief note about a supposed leak of a trailer for Shenmue 4, shared by a YouTube account with eight (now 12) subscribers. Is it really a leak, or just an elaborate fake? It's looking like the latter, as Ys Net has posted a message on X saying the video "has absolutely no connection" to the studio.

Microsoft killed the promising Perfect Dark reboot, but Take-Two has snapped up its leads for a new 2K studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/microsoft-killed-the-promising-perfect-dark-reboot-but-take-two-has-snapped-up-its-leads-for-a-new-2k-studio/
When Microsoft laid off an astonishing 9,000 people in July, the long-awaited Perfect Dark reboot was among the casualties. The main studio working on it—The Initiative—was shuttered, but co-developers Crystal Dynamics tried to salvage the project by cutting a publishing deal with Take-Two. The deal never eventuated because Take-Two and Microsoft couldn't agree on who would retain ownership of the Perfect Dark franchise.
Nevertheless, it looks like Take-Two did get something out of those discussions: former The Initiative boss Darrell Gallagher and Perfect Dark director Brian Horton will found a new 2K Games studio. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier announced as much today, before Gallagher confirmed on LinkedIn.
>> Microsoft’s loss is 2K’s gain.

Square Enix hit with a brutal 100-slide presentation from one of its shareholders about alleged mismanagement, other shareholders asked to pitch in with 'frank views'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/square-enix-hit-with-a-brutal-100-slide-presentation-from-one-of-its-shareholders-about-alleged-mismanagement-other-shareholders-asked-to-pitch-in-with-frank-views/
Square Enix has had a rough couple of years—combining $140 million in losses from abandoned projects, the shine slowly fading from Final Fantasy 14 (even if it does look like things are on the up, again), and sluggish Final Fantasy sales across the board. Its newer IPs haven't done great, either. Remember Babylon's Fall? You'd better, 'cause it'll only exist in your memories forever.
It's almost enough to make me feel sad for a large company (almost—you shouldn't do that) to see it now hit with a 100-slide presentation on its alleged mismanagement from one of its major shareholders. 3D Investment, which holds a 14.36% stake in the company, is now looking to get other shareholders onside.
>> Looks like some heads will roll at S-E. Figuratively speaking, of course.