According to Le’s website, the screenshots feature scenes and models that that were used directly in id Software’s in-house idTech 5 engine, and also doesn’t include finishing touches that you would typically see in a game, like radiosity rendering. According to Le, several of the scenes depicted in the screenshots were created by making use of a combination of existing assets from DOOM as well as original assets. The overall theme for these, as described by Le, is a re-imagined environment from Quake with modern touches.

“It has two parts,” explains Le on the website. “The first one is stone and old machinery ‘melted’ into each other in the weird way that is not familiar with human logic. Gears, chains are moving to create dynamic [environment] and can be used as game play. The second part [environment] has just stones with very mystery structures in which stones are dynamically float or animated that causes the environments keeps changing during the combat.”

When it comes to DOOM 4: Hell on Earth, Le has described the overarching themes of his work on the game’s environments as having to created a city with the key words being “abandoned” and “destruction”. The environments in these screenshots, which you can check out here, were created using idTech 4 that once again doesn’t feature finishing touches like PBR or Substance rendering.

According to the resume on his website, Le has been working in the gaming industry since 2001, when he joined Lucas Arts and worked on titles like Gladius and Star Fighter 2. In 2004, Le moved to EA Los Angeles, where he worked on titles like Medal of Honor, a cancelled project dubbed Tiberium, a Lord of the Rings game, and Golden Eye.

Since 2008, however, Le has been working with id Software. After having worked as an artist on the cancelled DOOM 4: Hell on Earth, he also worked on other shooters by the studio, including both Rage titles, DOOM (2016), and most recently, Quake Champions. Interestingly, Le hasn’t listed more recent games like DOOM Eternal or the upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages as projects he has worked on.

In the past, various developers from id Software have revealed quite a few details about DOOM 4. Celebrating the release of DOOM (2016), designer Kevin Cloud spoke about the cancelled project, saying that it felt more like a story-based game and less like one that could belong in the DOOM series. “We explored a direction and got to a certain point and felt like this really wasn’t capturing what we felt like was going to be a strong DOOM and what the fans would want from it.”

More recently, footage from the cancelled title has been released for the sake of preservation courtesy of id Software and documentary-maker Noclip.

Double Barrel Shotgun – Quake

Quake’s Double Barrel Shotgun is a great example, annihilating foes with explosive-sounding shots that don’t outright overwhelm the player. They still feel powerful though and reinforce that feeling of being a nigh-unstoppable Ranger against the world.

Players will face progressively harder waves of enemies in the Horde mode, which can either be played solo or in a group of up to 4 people (bots or other players). The update also adds an add-on by the name of Honey, which is a set of new stages, which will supposedly task players to “delve deep into the darkness to conquer a deadly plague infecting the land”.

Various other bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements also arrive with the patch. You can check out the full patch notes below.

Quake is available right now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC. The game is also a part of the Xbox Game Pass library both on console and PC, and comes with a new expansion developed by MachineGames.

Patch Notes: 

According to the job listings, id Software’s next project is a new entry in a “long-running iconic action FPS”. That could, of course, potentially mean DOOM, but other interesting details in the listings point to something else. For starters, it seems the game will have “fantasy and sci-fi art styles” and will feature “AAA quality sci-fi and fantasy environmental vistas and skyboxes.”

That brief description sounds a lot more like Quake than it does like DOOM. Earlier this year, in celebration of Quake’s 2th anniversary, id Software and Bethesda released a remastered and expanded version of the original game, which also featured new expansions developed by Wolfenstein studio MachineGames.

Of course, it’s clear that whatever id Software’s new project is, it’s likely still in early development, which means we won’t know what it is for a while yet. A Quake game is something that many will be thrilled about though, especially seeing as fellow shooter classics Wolfenstein and DOOM have both enjoyed successful revivals in recent years.

The picture shows a player playing the game using a keyboard and mouse on the Nintendo Switch, which is certainly fascinating. What’s more interesting is the fact that the patch notes do not mention any such thing, nor has Bethesda made any official posts or communications regarding this addition.

Quake is an exceptionally fast first person shooter, and without a doubt plays best with a keyboard and a mouse. Fans on consoles are now getting the opportunity to enjoy the game in the same way, which is, simply put, great. The remaster also includes a couple of brand-new expansions developed by MachineGames, the studio behind the excellent Wolfenstein games.

Quake supporting keyboard and mouse on Nintendo Switchhttps://t.co/ulJqox70HP pic.twitter.com/ca5QFNyRUC

— Agent Strange (@PoweredbyidTech) October 11, 2021

Bethesda has announced that the game is now natively available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S as well, with support for 4K and 120 FPS on both consoles. Xbox players also get Play Anywhere support, while the PS5 version includes support for the DualSense’s unique features. Additionally, Bethesda also confirms that while you can carry over your save data across the game’s Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions, cross-save isn’t available on PlayStation.

Quake’s remaster is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can read our review of it through here.

Quake was one of the first arena shooters to pioneer the fast-paced action that DOOM flirted with before. The game’s deep mechanics left players engaged on online deathmatches for hours on end, and Quake was one of the earliest esports games in the FPS genre.

“I think it’s important for us as players, as people who love the gaming industry, [to acknowledge] what are art form is about, to recognise those franchises that really changed so much that came after them due to the sheer innovation, differentiation, and kind of risk taking the team took. Quake was clearly one of those franchises. You can remember before Quake and after Quake. I think everything that came after Quake both had a bar that the franchise set, and also just an impact on design and multiplayer that we feel in the games we’re still playing today. Awesome franchise to recognise and give it its due for what it meant to our industry,” Phil Spencer said (as transcribed by Pure Xbox)

In addition to the console releases, Quake 2 and Quake 3: Arena were also launched on Xbox Game Pass for PC. It’s rumored that this is a strategy to revive this classic franchise with the help of MachineGames. Of course, that remains to be seen if the rumors eventually turn out to be true – but fans seem to elated with the surprise nevertheless.

Along with the base game and original two expansions, “The Scourge of Armagon” and “Dissolution of Eternity,” a new expansion called “Dimension of the Machine” has been added. Developed by MachineGames, it sees players venturing into a labyrinth to discover lost runes and eventually take down a horrible new foe called The Machine. Other features include local and online multiplayer and co-op with cross-platform play.

Another nice touch is being able to download free mods and additional missions, including Quake 64 (with both fan-made and official mods coming later). Motion aiming via gyro controls is supported on the Nintendo Switch while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate players can use xCloud to play the game on the go. Stay tuned for more details on updates and other content in the coming months.

The digital expo begins tonight and will have a special panel at 2:05 PM ET where id Software and MachineGames celebrate the 25th anniversary of Quake. The official schedule previously described a “revitalized edition” with Digital Foundry’s John Linneman speaking to MachineGames’ Jerk Gustafsson about the classic. Along with discussing the title’s legacy, the latter would also provide details on new content included in this updated version.

Plenty of other Bethesda-published titles will be present at QuakeCon 2021 including Deathloop which will have a Deep Dive at 2:30 PM ET (along with a “special discussion” for multiplayer). Fallout 76 is on at 3 PM ET with the development team providing more information on Fallout Worlds while id Software’s Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin will provide a studio update for DOOM Eternal at 4:30 PM ET.

Bethesda recently announced QuakeCon 2021, kicking off on August 19, and during the show, a special panel celebrating Quake’s 25th anniversary is being held, and will be attended by developers from both id Software and MachineGames. And it seems that a big announcement is going to be made as well.

The official QuakeCon website’s schedule initially also included a description for the Quake panel (via Xbox Era). That description has since been changed, but it originally suggested that a new Quake game is going to be announced soon.

The description read: “Quake is back, in this special stream John Linneman from Digital Foundry talks to Jerk Gustafsson of MachineGames about the title’s iconic legacy and what it meant to both of them. The pair will also discuss the additional content MachineGames have contributed to this revitalized edition.”

It remains to be seen exactly what is meant by “revitalized edition”- an updated version of Quake Champions, or a completely new game altogether? Either way, it looks like we’ll learn soon enough, so stay tuned to GamingBolt for all the latest updates.