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

[JEMC]

Part two of the gaming news:

'We don't use AI…to replace people,' claims Arc Raiders CEO, without actually explaining what they do use it for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/we-dont-use-ai-to-replace-people-claims-arc-raiders-ceo-without-actually-explaining-what-they-do-use-it-for/
Regardless of how players feel about the technology, AI is increasingly encroaching on both the behind-the-scenes game development and the final product that lands in players' hands. Just recently, Sony patented an AI-powered 'ghost' to guide you through games, Razer has made a holographic AI assistant in a test tube, golden child Larian is using generative AI in its development process for Divinity, and the biggest shooters on the market, Call of Duty and Battlefield 6, are locked in a battle to sneak in as much terrible AI art as possible. It's grim out there.
And then there's Embark Studios, which has used AI in both The Finals and its latest and greatest hit, Arc Raiders. Both prominently feature AI voices, for example, which has once again sparked debate over the ethics of using AI to generate assets for games that used to be created individually by people, whether artists or voice actors.
Perhaps to help clear the air, in a recent interview with GamesBeat's Dean Takahashi, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund expressed, "I think people have misconceptions about what [AI] means. I mean to us, we don't use AI to not have to hire people, or to replace people, or to replace job groups, that's not the point."
>> They use AI voices instead of hiring actors, but they aren’t replacing people. Sure... Anyway, there are other Arc Raiders/Embark articles: ”Arc Raider's defining feature, according to Embark's CEO, is all the odd player interactions” (link); “Embark CEO says Arc Raiders 'should do more with the trading part of the game'” (link; “Embark's CEO says they couldn't compete 'with the likes of EA and Activision' head on so they had to 'change the way games were being developed' (link).

Don't be scared of AI, says Troy Baker, because it's gonna push us toward 'the authentic' rather than 'the gruel that gets distilled to me through a black mirror'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/dont-be-scared-of-ai-says-troy-baker-because-its-gonna-push-us-toward-the-authentic-rather-than-the-gruel-that-gets-distilled-to-me-through-a-black-mirror/
AI! It's changing the world, you know. Pretty soon, there'll be no poverty, no hunger, no fear, and no doubt. The chiliasts were right: just over the horizon is a sweet eternity, brought about—somehow—by feeding a vast quantity of stolen art into a spellcheck machine and generating oceans of non-consensual deepfake pornography.
I'm sceptical. So too, kind of, is renowned videogame voice actor Troy Baker (Joel in The Last of Us, Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), although he sounds a bit more optimistic than I am. In a chat with The Game Business (via Eurogamer), Baker said he's not scared of the tech, and suggested that when it all shakes out, a big impact of AI could be to renew people's interest in human-made art over machine-generated "content".
>> Yeah no, I’m not as optimistic as him.

Ubisoft closes its recently-unionized Halifax studio, says it's not because of the unionizing
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ubisoft-closes-its-recently-unionized-halifax-studio-says-its-not-because-of-the-unionizing/
Two weeks ago, staff at Ubisoft Halifax officially formed a union, with 74% of its employees voting in favor of forming a bargaining unit after the Assassin's Creed Rebellion developer filed for unionization in June. Today, Ubisoft announced that it's closing the Halifax studio, claiming that the timing is merely coincidental (via GamesIndustry.biz).

The Elder Scrolls Online devs promise that its new seasonal model 'is the beginning of a major shift' for the decade-old MMO: 'Frankly, we think we could make the game more rewarding and exciting'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/the-elder-scrolls-online-devs-promise-that-its-new-seasonal-model-is-the-beginning-of-a-major-shift-for-the-decade-old-mmo-frankly-we-think-we-could-make-the-game-more-rewarding-and-exciting/
The Elder Scrolls Online has had a bit of a rough go, recently, with its initially cool subclassing update not quite hitting the balance mark alongside a brutal rash of cuts at Microsoft, which saw the game's director quit.
Still, ESO's remaining developers have been adamant that it's not going anywhere, a promise that seems congruent with a recent deep-dive into the game's next plans—grab your calendar, baby, ESO's going seasonal.

More than 8 years after The New Colossus, a new Wolfenstein game is reportedly in the works at MachineGames
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/more-than-8-years-after-the-new-colossus-a-new-wolfenstein-game-is-reportedly-in-the-works-at-machinegames/
I wrote 10 years ago that MachineGames did something almost beyond belief with Wolfenstein hero BJ Blazkowicz, turning him from an anonymous slab of bicep into a "magnificently human" character: a man clinging desperately to a dream that he knows in his soul has no happy ending." Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequel, The New Colossus, were both ridiculously good: Fantastic shooters at the guns-and-guts level, elevated to greatness through their commitment to story and characters.
(...)
Now, eight years after the last mainline Wolfenstein game, it looks like the series might finally be coming back to life. Windows Central reported a rumor today that Wolfenstein 3 is in development, coinciding with the Wolfenstein TV series being developed for Amazon that was announced in 2025.
>> I really enjoyed playing those two games, plus The Old Blood. I only hope the new game is less depressing that The New Colossus.

Europe's PEGI game rating website leaks a new Life is Strange game, and it sure sounds like Max and Chloe are getting back together
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/europes-pegi-game-rating-website-leaks-a-new-life-is-strange-game-and-it-sure-sounds-like-max-and-chloe-are-getting-back-together/
It looks like a new Life is Strange game is cooking at Square Enix, and you can thank the European game rating agency PEGI for letting us all know. As noticed by Rock, Paper, Shotgun, PEGI has posted a rating for a game called Life is Strange: Reunion, and even given us an outline of what it's all about.

Minecraft teases its first drop of 2026, and it might finally be the thing that stops me from being a passive mob killing machine
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-teases-its-first-drop-of-2026-and-it-might-finally-be-the-thing-that-stops-me-from-being-a-passive-mob-killing-machine/
With the 2025 cycle of drops out of the way, Minecraft has already revealed a feature of its next update—and let me tell you, it's simply adorable. In fact, it's probably going to stop me from creating tiny little animal farms as a food source as a whole, which is a pretty dramatic statement given every Minecraft player seems to do the same thing.

Change the course of history in Rewind 99, a nostalgia-infused retail sim where you'll fight back against streaming services as the last remaining video rental store on the planet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/change-the-course-of-history-in-rewind-99-a-nostalgia-infused-retail-sim-where-youll-fight-back-against-streaming-services-as-the-last-remaining-video-rental-store-on-the-planet/
Despite no one who's ever worked as a retail worker recommending it, retail sims are a burgeoning genre following hits like Supermarket Simulator, TCG Card Shop Simulator, and (technically) Schedule 1. I suppose angry customers, low pay, and terrible hours aren't really that bad when it's all digital and you're holding the cards. It turns out, it's rather fun and relaxing running a fake store, managing stock and delivering expert customer service by way of your approachable, friendly demeanour.
After rummaging through upcoming releases on Steam, I've immediately fallen in love with Rewind 99, the latest in the line of retail sims, which launches into early access in March 2026. It's got something no other retail sim has: pizzazz (it's set in the 90s).

Since there are only a couple of "meh" news, I'll post them here as well:

Is today's puzzle game scene interesting? 'No, I don't think it is,' says Jonathan Blow, even though there are 'really good games in the past' devs could look to for inspiration
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/is-todays-puzzle-game-scene-interesting-no-i-dont-think-it-is-says-jonathan-blow-even-though-there-are-really-good-games-in-the-past-devs-could-look-to-for-inspiration/

Path of Exile 2 players suffer the consequences of dealing illegal amounts of damage as boss shrugs off a 95M-damage hit
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-players-suffer-the-consequences-of-dealing-illegal-amounts-of-damage-as-boss-shrugs-off-a-95m-damage-hit/