Tuesday news, part two:

Treyarch accidentally added legacy tokens to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, took them away, and then promised to restore them after realising they can't put the toothpaste back in the tube
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/treyarch-accidentally-added-legacy-tokens-to-call-of-duty-black-ops-6-took-them-away-and-then-promised-to-restore-them-after-realising-they-cant-put-the-toothpaste-back-in-the-tube/
There was a pleasant surprise waiting for players when Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 went live. XP tokens from previous Call of Duty games were there sat in everyone's inventory, making it easier to face the grind and level up characters or weapons. Usually, players can get these by completing limited time events, finishing the battle pass, or sometimes via collaborations.
(...)
Unfortunately, this time it didn't seem like the feature was intentional. One of the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 updates erased legacy tokens, or as Activision put it: "Fixed an issue that incorrectly allowed legacy XP tokens to be activated in the Black Ops 6 UI." We just can't have nice things.
(...)
"With the start of Season 01, a UI bug allowed players to activate legacy XP tokens in Black Ops 6," Treyarch says. "Unfortunately, it also introduced some potential risk to game stability, which is why it was patched yesterday.
"We realize how much players appreciate being able to redeem legacy XP tokens in both BO6 and Warzone, so we are currently testing a way to implement this change correctly in a future update. This allows us time to ensure stability is maintained before we reintroduce this feature."

Sailor Moon-vibed farming sim Fields of Mistria gets its first major patch and finally lets me lay down some romantic groundwork for my spouse-to-be
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/sailor-moon-vibed-farming-sim-fields-of-mistria-gets-its-first-major-patch-and-finally-lets-me-lay-down-some-romantic-groundwork-for-my-spouse-to-be/
Fields of Mistria has been one of my most-loved games this year despite still being a relatively humble early access offering. It's set to be a genuinely fantastic contender in the Stardew-like space, even more so now that developer NPC Studio has released its first major patch.

Helldivers 2 players endure sarcastic propaganda that commends their 'undeniable tactical brilliance' after the 'blob' abandons a nearly-won objective for basically no reason
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-players-endure-sarcastic-propaganda-that-commends-their-undeniable-tactical-brilliance-after-the-blob-abandons-a-nearly-won-objective-for-basically-no-reason/
Folks, I think we might've democracy'd a little too close to the sun on this one. In case you've not been keeping up, Helldivers 2 recently introduced the democracy space station (DSS) which, after a brief hiccup where it kept blasting them into low orbit, has mostly served to empower the soldiers of liberty with eagle bombardments and special powers—guided across the galaxy by their vote. The wish for more control over the battlefield is granted, and yet the eagle's claw curls.
See, the latest major order, Operation Spark of Liberty, has ended in "success"—those quotes are Arrowhead's inclusion, not mine. While the major order's conditions have been technically met (to hold Gaellivare while killing 500 million Terminids), you might notice that Gaellivare is currently under automaton control.

Microsoft's Phil Spencer denies Avowed was delayed because it's janky: 'We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. They’ll use the time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/microsofts-phil-spencer-denies-avowed-was-delayed-because-its-janky-we-didnt-move-it-because-obsidian-needed-the-time-theyll-use-the-time/
Head of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer has been doing a few end-of-year interviews as 2024 draws to a close, and unsurprisingly the mood music is bullish. (...)
The company has such an embarrassment of riches, in fact, that Spencer says it's letting them take their time where it's needed. Obsidian's hotly anticipated Avowed, a fantasy RPG that it's desperate for people not to compare to Skyrim, was at one point scheduled for a fall 2024 release, but in August was delayed into February 2025. The reason? Microsoft said it was all about players! Giving us a chance to get through those backlogs, what kindness!
Speaking to GameFile's Stephen Totilo, Spencer re-iterates this rationale, and denies that it was down to the game being in bad shape. The latter is not some pie-in-the-sky suspicion, because Obsidian historically produces amazing RPGs that, like Alpha Protocol or New Vegas, have more than their fair share of bugs and jank.

US Air National Guardsman gets 15 years for leaking military secrets on a Minecraft Discord server: 'The scope of his betrayal is breathtaking… the amount of damage immeasurable'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/us-air-national-guardsman-gets-15-years-for-leaking-military-secrets-on-a-minecraft-discord-server-the-scope-of-his-betrayal-is-breathtaking-the-amount-of-damage-immeasurable/
A 22 year-old former member of the US Air National Guard has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing classified American military secrets and sharing them on a Discord server ostensibly focused on Minecraft (thanks, The Register). Jack Teixeira had been employed by the service since September 2019 and worked for the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts until his arrest last year.

After dominating The Game Awards in 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 is in the running for even more gold in 2024
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/after-dominating-the-game-awards-in-2023-baldurs-gate-3-is-in-the-running-for-even-more-gold-in-2024/
The nominees for the 2024 Game Awards are in: This year's lineup is led by the PlayStation-exclusive Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, with seven nominations each including Game of the Year. Balatro, a PC Gamer favorite, is in the running for five awards, and it also pleases me to report that after crushing the 2023 Game Awards, Baldur's Gate 3 is back for more.

A summer intern once saved Valve from a near-fatal lawsuit after a publisher 'decided to go World War 3' on it, and it all hinged on one email
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/a-summer-intern-once-saved-valve-from-a-near-fatal-lawsuit-after-a-publisher-decided-to-go-world-war-3-on-it-and-it-all-hinged-on-one-email/
First Spotted by 80 Level, Secret Tape's massive documentary on the development of Half-Life 2 contains an almost unbelievable story of how Valve was saved from legal and financial ruin thanks to the actions of a single summer intern, paving the way for PC gaming as we know it today.

All Balatro's creator wants to do after the game received 5 nominations at the Game Awards is praise other overlooked developers: 'I just happen to be one of the lucky ones'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/its-been-a-really-surreal-day-balatro-creator-drops-heartfelt-message-after-landing-a-whopping-5-nominations-at-the-game-awards/
While The Game Awards nominations have heavily favoured big hitters like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Astro Bot, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth—the latter two of which are notably not on PC, boo—one indie game is standing among the bigger players: Balatro.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will simulate '3 trillion trees' and is borrowing all its animals from Planet Zoo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-will-simulate-3-trillion-trees-and-is-borrowing-all-its-animals-from-planet-zoo/
We were all pretty amazed in 202 when Microsoft Flight Simulator let us fly around a photorealistic, 1:1 scale planet Earth with real-time weather. Today, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is being released, and this time around its developers want you to spend a lot more time with your feet on the ground. Once you land in MFS 2024, you can exit your plane, walk around, and even take pictures of wildlife. That means a whole new level of simulation, as Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann told PC Gamer last week.
>> Or you can hire pilots to do the work for you.

This genre-blending indie game left me obsessed with the tales behind trinkets and knick-knacks, and wanting more
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/this-genre-blending-indie-game-left-me-obsessed-with-the-tales-behind-trinkets-and-knick-knacks-and-wanting-more/
Miniatures released on November 14, and after being nominated for several awards across the past two years I've been desperate to see what all the fuss is about. I get attached to objects pretty easily. If I see a little ceramic creature in a charity shop or if I look at a soft toy too long, there's a high chance it's coming home with me. Miniatures taps into this feeling and turns it into a heartwrenching narrative-driven story game reflecting on childhood memories, and now I've got an even deeper emotional attachment to my collection of trinkets. 

Here's how to watch the 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/heres-how-to-watch-the-42nd-annual-golden-joystick-awards/
It's that time of year again. The Golden Joystick Awards have rolled around to highlight the best bits of gaming from the past 365 days. Over 12 million votes (a new record) have been cast across 21 categories, and with Final Fantasy XVI's Ben Starr taking the stage to share the winners, there's a lot to get excited about. Potential new Ben Starr memes, most of all.