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

[JEMC]

Friday gaming news, part two and also last:

Phantom Blade: Zero devs couldn't care less about releasing near GTA 6: 'We don't even think of the competition, what matters is how polished the game is'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/phantom-blade-zero-devs-couldnt-care-less-about-releasing-near-gta-6-we-dont-even-think-of-the-competition-what-matters-is-how-polished-the-game-is/
September 2026 is looking to be one of the most crowded months for games in history, as everyone with eyes on a fall release crowds into the few weeks before Grand Theft Auto 6 dominates everyone's attention. We're no doubt going to start seeing delays soon that push games clear of that blast zone—but during last week's Sony State of Play, one game moved closer to the epicenter.
That was Phantom Blade: Zero, the action RPG I flew to China to play last year. And according to game director Qiwei "Soulframe" Liang, GTA 6 didn't factor into the decision even a tiny bit.

Quake Champions gets a huge update and free battle pass to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Quake
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/quake-champions-gets-a-huge-update-and-free-battle-pass-to-celebrate-the-30th-anniversary-of-quake/
I had forgotten about Quake Champions, the free-to-play take on Quake 3 Arena that first arrived on Steam in 2017. But it's still around, it's still got, well, a handful of players, and today it got a surprisingly beefy update to mark the 30th anniversary of Quake, including a free battle pass for everyone.

Xbox's new chief strategy officer is still a big believer in in-game ads
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/xboxs-new-chief-strategy-officer-is-still-a-big-believer-in-in-game-ads/
>> Yay! /s

A single crab has the third highest player kill count in Path of Exile 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-single-crab-has-the-third-highest-player-kill-count-in-path-of-exile-2/

Time to get a little sadder about Destiny 2: TWIDs are coming to an end
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/time-to-get-a-little-sadder-about-destiny-2-twids-are-coming-to-an-end/
>> Not right now, but soon.

And since GOG has no new deals, here are the Steam deals for the weekend:

+Steam

• Mechabellum is going free to try during the weekend and 40% off until the 25th of June (the day the Summer Sale will start): https://store.steampowered.com/app/669330/Mechabellum/
• Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation will have a 50% discount until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2319790/Captain_Wayne__Vacation_Desperation/
• The Oregon Trail , the remake, will be 67% off until June 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2013360/The_Oregon_Trail/
• Carmen Sandiego gets the same 67% discount until the same 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2475300/Carmen_Sandiego/
• Hearts of Iron IV will also be freee to try during the weekend and is going to be 80% off until, again, the 25th : https://store.steampowered.com/app/394360/Hearts_of_Iron_IV/
• And now, the sales/events, in order of appearance:
  • Untold Tals Publisher Sale has games with up to 85% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/UntoldTalesPubSale2026
  • Team17 Publisher Sale has upcoming titles and games up to 94% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Team17PublisherSale26
  • Klei celebrates its 20th Anniversary shows some upcoming releases and puts its games up to 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/kleifest2026
    • They also have a FREE GAME: Eets will be until Monday’s refresh: https://store.steampowered.com/app/6100/Eets/
  • tinyBuild’s Evergreen Sale features upcoming titles and up to 80% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6858705/sale/evergreen
  • Football Fiesta has football games (football, not handegg). You’ll find upcoming games, demos and titles up to 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/footballfiesta2026
  • Devolver Digital also shows the game that they’re working on, features demos and has games on sale with up to 90% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/DevolverDigitalPublisherSale2026
  • Kepler Interactive also showcases its upcoming games and has games up to 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/KeplerPublisherSale2026
    • They also have a FREE GAME: The Red Lantern will be free until the 18th of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1053710/The_Red_Lantern/
  • Bus Simulator Franchise Sale has the games on sale with up to 80% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32942452/sale/BusFranchise
  • Final Fantasy Franchise Sale shows a couple of its upcoming releases and has games up to 70% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/finalfantasyfranchise2026
  • And the Qubic Games Publisher Sale is like the others, with upcoming titles and games on sale, this time with up to 80% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44970679/sale/qubicgamessale2026

That's all for this week. Until the next time I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.