Quake Champions April Update Live Limited Test of Free-to-Play Version

Quake Champions’ April update springs into action today, bringing fresh features and content to the best FPS players in the world. Among the additions - Quake’s quintessential villain, the cybernetic war dog Strogg, joins the fray as a new Champion; a new Cthalha-themed map offers a fresh arena to master; and a blast from the past revives that fragging feeling as the Quake III Arena’s flesh-chewing Plasma Gun returns.

In addition, players looking to join the fray can celebrate Quake Champions’ April update by playing for free starting tomorrow through a limited test of the free-to-play version of the game scheduled to release later this year.

Merry Quakemas biggest Quake Christmas update ever!

Quake Champions has just received one of its biggest updates ever, adding tons of new content and features for fans in Early Access that expand player options and raises the bar for competition in the Arenas.

The December Update includes:

A NEW CHAMPION – Keel

• Quake 3 Arena’s fan-favorite “resurrected war machine,” Keel, hops back into the arenas with his Grenade Swarm active ability, allowing players to launch a barrage of grenades, as well as his Stockpile passive ability, which reduces the cooldown on Grenade Swarm with every ammo box he picks up
• Keel is free for players who own the Champions Pack, and is available for purchase for 800 Platinum via the in-game store for everyone else

Quake Champions Update New Champion, Map, Ranked, Leaderboards & Christmas

id Software has continued to update and improve Quake Champions throughout Early Access based on the feedback and requests of the player community.

This week on Dec. 14, Quake Champions will receive one of its largest updates to date, delivering new content and features including a new Champion, Keel, who returns from Quake 3 Arena and Quake Live; a new arena for Duel and 2v2, Vale of Pnath; Ranked Play and Leaderboards; plus a ton of festive, holiday-themed gear and maps for a limited time.

Fight as the Original Quake Hero, Ranger in Quake Champions

Two decades ago, a lone Marine stepped through the Slipgate and into a nightmare. He cut through countless horrors to find four eldritch Runes, then laid waste to the abomination known as Shub-Niggurath. Ranger, the original Quake badass, is hungry for more gibs in Quake Champions.

Ranger’s a Quake LEGEND – this is the guy that fragged through the Dimension of the Doomed and the Realm of Black Magic. He’s been trapped in the realms ever since, even competing in the bloody halls of Quake III Arena.

QuakeCon 2013 Tournament Line Up Announced and register links

The world’s most competitive QUAKE LIVE players will come together to go head-to-head at QuakeCon 2013, being held August 1-4 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. Vying for their share of over $25,000 in prize money, top professionals will compete in The Intel QUAKE LIVE Duel Invitational Masters Championship as well as The QUAKE LIVE Clan Arena 3v3 Open, and the 20th Anniversary DOOM Challenge tournaments.

Quake Live content update Free Premium Week New Content Available

We’re pleased to announce a content update for Pro and Premium subscribers to QUAKE LIVE, id Software’s browser-based free-to-play first person shooter, with the addition of the Premium Pak 12.

Quakecon 2011 tournament line up announced

The world’s very best QUAKE LIVE players will once again gather in Dallas, Texas to take part in intense online tournaments at QuakeCon 2011, being held August 4-7, 2011 at the Hilton Anatole. Top professionals will compete in the Intel-sponsored QUAKE LIVE Duel Invitational Masters and the Intel QUAKE LIVE Team Deathmatch Invitational Masters and contend for a share of over $40,000 in prize money.  Also new to this year’s QuakeCon, up-and-coming players will have the opportunity to prove their gaming expertise in the Brink Open Championships.

Free Quake Live will have Mac and Linux support

"Great news for those anxious gamers who have been waiting for a Linux and Mac version of Quake Live. Support for both is being implemented with next Tuesday's update, according to project lead Marty Stratton, who gave the release date during a press conference held at QuakeCon 2009. A video of the press conference is up at QuakeUnity."

John Carmack revealed that they're working on a "premium" subscription service for Quake Live, which will allow players to configure and run their own private servers. Also at QuakeCon, a new trailer was released for id's upcoming shooter, Rage.

Kotaku posted an extensive preview of Rage, saying, "I've seen no game that, in this realistic style, looks so good and has a landscape so rich with visual splendor." A detailed presentation on id Tech 5, the new game engine behind Rage, was given at SIGGRAPH 2009 last week.

DOOM, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, QUAKE and Wolfenstein have new owners as Bethesda buys id Software

Brings together two of world's best game studios. Library of powerhouse franchises will include DOOM, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, QUAKE, Wolfenstein and RAGE

ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, today announced it has completed the acquisition of legendary game studio, id Software, creators of world-renowned games such as DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein, and its upcoming title, RAGE.

The acquisition by ZeniMax Media joins together two of the finest, most respected videogame developers in the world, combining the first person shooter (FPS) expertise of id Software with acclaimed role playing game (RPG) developer Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2008 Game of the Year, Fallout 3, and the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda Softworks will publish the titles of id Software other than upcoming releases previously committed to other publishers.

Founded in 1991, id Software established itself as an industry leader with some of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed video games of all time. id Software created the original first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D, and subsequently set new standards in the genre with the blockbuster releases of its DOOM and QUAKE titles. In addition, id Software developed cutting edge, proprietary technology with the id Tech engine which powers many notable FPS titles, and continues to make great advances in game technology under the direction of John Carmack, one of the country’s technology leaders and a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame.

Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, commented on the transaction: “This was a unique opportunity to team with a smart, sophisticated publisher like Bethesda Softworks where the interests of the studio and the publisher will be fully aligned in the development and marketing of our titles. In addition, we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans.”

id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack. No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games. All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games at the studio.

“This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director. “We will now be able to grow and extend all of our franchises under one roof, leveraging our capabilities across multiple teams while enabling forward looking research to be done in the service of all of them. We will be bigger and stronger, as we recruit the best talent to help us build the landmark games of the future. As trite as it may be for me to say that I am extremely pleased and excited about this deal, I am."

Robert Altman, the founder, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax Media stated, “We, along with many others, consider id Software to be among the finest game studios in the world, with extraordinary design, artistic and technical capabilities. They have demonstrated, repeatedly, that rare ability to create franchise properties that are critical and commercial successes. Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games. Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand.”

ZeniMax Media Inc, which is privately held, was founded in 1999 to create quality interactive entertainment products to meet the growing worldwide demand. The Company is headquartered in Rockville, MD and maintains offices in Hunt Valley, MD, London and Tokyo. Among its wholly owned subsidiaries are Bethesda Softworks, a premier publisher of video games, Vir2L Studios which develops games for the casual market, and ZeniMax Online Studios, a studio dedicated to massively multi-player online games (MMOG).

Bethesda Game Studios, the development group at ZeniMax Media, is one of the top video game studios in the world. Its most recent release, Fallout 3, was the 2008 winner of more than 60 Game of the Year awards, including The Associated Press, Official Xbox Magazine, Yahoo, PC Gamer, IGN, Game Critics Awards, Game Developer Choice Awards, and Gamespy. Bethesda also created the 2006 PC and Xbox 360 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the 2002 PC and Xbox Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Bethesda Game Studios has created 2 of the 10 best games of all time, Fallout 3 and Oblivion, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, as reported by the industry scoring system found at www.metacritic.com and www.gamerankings.com.

Battle of the Brits! The best computer gamers in Britain compete for £30,000!

The second season of the Electronic Sports League in UK, the ESL Pro Series, reaches its conclusion with Finals in London. The UK's best gamers in the disciplines Counter-Strike: Source, Call of Duty 4, Quake 3 and Trackmania Nations Forever will compete on Saturday the 4th of July 2009 for the championship title and a total prize money of £30,000. The event takes place at the Congress Centre in the heart of London's West End.

Twelve Counter-Strike: Source teams, Twelve Call of Duty 4 teams and twelve players each in the disciplines Trackmania Nations Forever and Quake 3 have been competing for the past four months to decide who is the best team in electronic sports (eSports) in the UK. The finals will be the proving ground to determine the next British eSports champions.

"We are proud to be able to announce the second ESL Pro Series Finals in UK", says Ibrahim Mazari (34), spokesperson of the league operator Turtle Entertainment. "The success of the second season lets us look forward to establish more professional eSports in the UK."

The show will feature live commentary and interviews and the breaks in between the matches will be sweetened with onsite entertainment, numerous raffles and give-aways by the ESL and its partners such as Intel®. The finals will be broadcasted live by the IPTV channel ESL TV available at: http://tv.esl.eu

More information regarding the ESL Pro Series UK Season 2 Finals is available at: http://www.esl.eu/uk/pro-series/news/71696/UK-Pro-Series-finals-announced/

General information about the ESL and eSports: www.esl.eu/uk & www.turtle-entertainment.com

iPhone - Metal Gear Solid, Bioshock, Prey, GTA and Quake coming soon...

You can raise dogz, run chocolate shopz, race kartz and match, erm, threez until your thumbs are worn down to the knuckle, but sometimes the casual experience is just no match for gunning down something slimy or finally collecting that orc repellant armour you've quested so hard for.

Having claimed so much play time from gamers and late nights from developers, the iPhone is starting to stretch its legs in what is affectionately known as the hardcore space. We've already had Brothers In Arms: Hour of Heroes, Kroll and Hero of Sparta.

Rumours about a premium section on the App Store and Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins getting nervous about the whole thing are certainly telling signs too.

There's a trend on the way people, or at least that's what we're predicting using our arcane knowledge of all things pocket gaming and, of course, our giant brains.

Some imminent hardcore iPhone games are confirmed and promoted, while others are still loitering in the forest of rumour. Here are six games we variously know or suspect are on the way.

Read the full post here on Pocket Gamer...

Free Quake Online Live Open Beta launched this week... 24th February

ID and IGN will launch the Live Beta of Quake next week on 24th February.

The game's official website here has an opening page promising the 02:24:2009 launch. Complete with countdown....

This version will be FREE - Quake will be a multiplayer gaming experience for all skill levels.

Free Quake live will feature...

• Friends lists
  
• Friends communication
  
• Sponsored events
  
• Tournaments
  
• Matchmaking
  
• Statistics

all free of charge on your web browser.

Simpsons and Mario Quake III Arena Maps

Simpsons Quake map here...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=34LtrnnXQTc&NR=1


Download the Map here

And the Mario Quake map here ...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GVxMGCkGrJA

Enemy territory - Quake Wars on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

The alien invasion has begun with Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars published by Activision for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Set in the year 2065, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars pits the armies of Earth’s Global Defense Force (GDF) against the invading alien menace, the Strogg, in an all-out struggle for the fate of the planet. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is slated to arrive on European store shelves on May 30, 2008, Australian store shelves on June 4 2008.

"Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars raises the bar for next-gen console games with its variety and intense combat," said Kevin Cloud, Executive Producer, id Software. “Whether you’re playing online with fifteen friends, or playing a single-player campaign against amazing AI, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars delivers a new level of team play and combat strategy to the PS3 and 360.”

Set within the expansive QUAKE universe in the year 2065, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is the ultimate team and mission-based multiplayer warfare game offering console gamers distinct classes, vehicles and weapons to choose from, giving players countless ways to join the battle. Players work as a team to defeat the enemy and achieve objectives either online against other players or battle offline with surprisingly lifelike AI. Across multi-mission campaigns, players earn experience and promotions while stats are recorded globally for players to track their rank and prestige in the community at www.enemyterritory.com.

Based on the critically-acclaimed game from id Software and Splash Damage for Windows PC that has received over eighty awards and nominations, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars was developed for the Xbox 360 by Nerve Software.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars has been rated “15” by the BBFC.

Quake-type iPhone games on the way

Developers behind Quake port for iPhone named, more games planned

HermitWorks Entertainment has been confirmed as the development team behind the unofficial Quake 3 port. As widely reported this week, the port uses the built-in motion sensors to control action in the game, and offers the capability for two player play using Wi-Fi.

What wasn't known until GameCyte did some digging is that the port took only "a matter of hours" to conduct.

Speaking with the site, developer Cameron Tofer also revealed the studio is also porting its original game, Space Trader, to the iPhone, that game is also built on a modified Quake 3 engine.

HermitWorks is also working on a casual iPhone RPG tentatively called Quest which also uses that engine. The developers are using two jail-broken iPhones.



Watch YouTube video here

Source: MacWorld

Help test Quake Live Beta test Quake Live website access sign up here

ID software offer - Help test Quake Live - Beta test Quake Live website access

Enter your email address to sign-up for the QUAKE LIVE Beta Program. 

Beta testers are given early access to the QUAKE LIVE website and game, and will help us test all of the game's features and functionality while offering feedback and suggestions. 

Simply enter your email address to apply, but please note that entering does not guarantee participation in the beta program.

Access the beta test site here