Wolfenstein: The New Order was a big title for a variety of reasons. One was that it was the revival of a classic IP, which is always big news one way or another, but more notable was its total reinvention of that series. While id Software’s own DOOM revitalized that franchise with a back to the basics, no-nonsense shooter, MachineGames went in a vastly different direction with Wolfenstein. They turned it into a narrative and character focused title that had surprisingly bittersweet mullings on fascism and the struggle to survive when all hope seems lost. Now it also seems MachineGames has their eye on another id Software property- Quake.
In Reddit AMA, Game Director Jeff Gustafsson for the upcoming Wolfenstein: Youngblood answered a lot of questions about the Wolfenstein franchise, including the upcoming shooter. But when talking about potentially making a multiplayer title, the conversation shifted to Quake. Gustafsson said he was a huge fan of the franchise, being one of the things that got him into game development, and would love to tackle it in some way, specifying the first game in a re-imagining.
“Quake is the reason I got into gaming,” said Gustafsson. “Discovering WorldCraft and Level Design, making maps for Quake, was one of the best experiences of my life – I even still do it today. Developing a Quake game (a re-imagination of Quake 1) is and will always be on my bucket list, but working with Wolfenstein and getting to work closely with my heroes over at id Software is pretty awesome too.”
Quake would be an interesting shift from their recent output. Even with Wolfenstein: Youngblood adding co-op multiplayer, the game is still heavily narrative driven. Of course, they could also try a reinvention of the series, too, since the latest entry, Quake Champions, didn’t quite get the foothold Bethesda would have hoped. It’d be interesting to see either way.
MachineGames’ latest game (co-developed by Arkane Studios), Wolfenstein: Youngblood, releases July 26th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.