Id Software didn’t really surprise a lot of us by announcing Quake Champions at Bethesda’s E3 conference. The only really surprising parts were the reveal of its gameplay (with a leaning towards classes) and its PC exclusivity.
Creative director Tim Willits talked a bit more about why Quake Champions is exclusive to PC and it was because of the requirement for very high frame rates from the studio. Speaking to GameSpot, Willits noted, “It’s everything from input sampling of the mouse to making sure that your monitor refresh rate is fast enough. Because even with Quake Live, we have found throughout the years that going from 30 to 60 is huge, but even 60 to 120 – is noticeable.”
Of course, this is for the really hardcore competitive players. “Most of us, and even me, I can’t really tell the difference. But there are some players who are inhuman. And we can’t come out and say we’re going to make a game for them and not run ridiculously fast. Because if we lose the pro guys, we’re in trouble.
“That’s why it’s a PC game. No excuses. No limitations,” Willits noted with regards to the high frame rates.
Quake Champions currently doesn’t have a release date but more information is expected to be revealed at QuakeCon so stay tuned.