| Quake Champions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Director | Tim Willits[1] |
| Producers |
|
| Designer | Adam Pyle |
| Programmer | Billy Ethan Khan |
| Artist | Shinichiro Hara |
| Composers | |
| Series | Quake |
| Engine | |
| Platform | Windows |
| Release | August 18, 2022 |
| Genre | First-person shooter |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
Quake Champions is a 2022first-person shooter game developed byid Software and published byBethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main entry in theQuake series, following 2005'sQuake 4. The game was first released in early access on August 22, 2017;[4] since August 10, 2018, the game has beenfree-to-play.[1][5] The game's full version was released on August 18, 2022.[6]
Quake Champions was announced at theElectronic Entertainment Expo 2016. The game features a large quantity of playable characters, with each having access to one or more 'passive abilities', and one 'active ability'[7] that must be triggered by a key-press.[5] The game was promised to be a "fast paced arena based shooter", and would not be released on consoles due to hardware limitations.[1]
At QuakeCon 2016, creative-directorTim Willits revealed thatQuake Champions does not run on theid Tech 6 game engine, but instead works on a hybrid engine made up ofid Tech andSaber3D Engine, which means a number of the features seen inDoom are not native toQuake Champions,[8] such asvirtual reality,Vulkan API,SnapMaps andmod support,[9] although mod support is potentially planned after initial release.[9] It was revealed thatQuake Champions was originally considered as an expansion toQuake Live, a revamped version ofQuake III Arena released in 2010.[10] The game went intoclosed beta on April 6, 2017,[11] and was released ontoSteam'searly access program on August 22.
It is stated that the game would feature afree-to-play option, allowing players to play as Ranger, with additional characters available for purchase, similar to the model used inKiller Instinct.[12][13]
AtE3 2017,B.J. Blazkowicz of theWolfenstein series was announced as a playable character.[14]
AtE3 2018, Bethesda announced the availability of afree-to-play trial downloadable on Steam. Players who signed up during the free trial period would be able to keep playing for free after the game launch.[15][16] Early access to the game was available for purchase at $30 on Steam.[17]
Andrew Hulshult announced on his Twitter that he will be composing new music for the game. Hulshult previously composed music for the modificationBrutal Doom andApogee Software titles like 2013'sRise of the Triad and3D Realms'Bombshell.[18]
During Quakecon 2018, it was announced thatQuake Champions would befree-to-play and open to all players on August 10.[19] At launch, the game made use ofloot boxes containing random cosmetic items. It later transitioned to abattle pass model in December, with players earning "shards" from weekly challenges to unlock new cosmetics.[20]
The game has been well-received by fans of theQuake series, however, the lack of modding support has disappointed many, it also failed to keep the player's attention for longer than otherfree-to-play games.[21]
The game was nominated for "Fan-favorite Shooter Game" at theGamers' Choice Awards,[22] and for "Best Action Game" at theTitanium Awards.[23]
The game has inspired twodemakes on earlierid Tech games:Quake Champions: Doom Edition for the originalDoom,[24] andQuake Champions Classic for the originalQuake.[25]
