Quake 3 Arena enjoys legendary status in the shooter genre. Now the game could be making a comeback, as there are indications of a remaster.
Quake 3 Arena set new standards in the shooter genre in 1999. The first-person shooter from Texas-based studio id Software was one of the first games in the genre to focus entirely on competitive multiplayer and shaped the fast-paced gameplay that is typical today. The graphics were also considered a milestone at the time and were used as a benchmark for a long time.
And although the game spent a full 24 years on the German Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors due to its excessive brutality, Quake 3 found many enthusiastic fans in this country as well, albeit via a roundabout route.
Now there are increasing signs that the legendary shooter is making a comeback. The American studio Nightdive has hinted that it is working on a remaster of Quake 3. To give younger players an idea of what it’s all about, we dug up a commented gameplay video from our archives:
What happened?
In a livestream from Nightdive Studios, the developers posted a mysterious comment that reads as follows: All eyes, I mean Orbbs, will be on this announcement!
The name Orbbs refers to the bots from Quake 3’s offline mode, which you could use to train for multiplayer.
The comment could therefore be interpreted as meaning that the studio is working on a new edition of the shooter, hinting at an upcoming announcement. A screenshot of the comment immediately appeared on Quake Reddit, where fans are speculating about the possible content of the alleged remaster.
Pinned comment on Nightdive Studios stream
by
u/kjurban in
quake
The remaster fits the picture
Although there has been no official announcement yet, a remaster of the cult shooter would certainly fit the picture: The rights to Quake 3 are currently held by publisher Bethesda, which acquired Quake creator id Software back in 2009.
Nightdive Studios has already released remastered versions of Quake 2, Doom, and Doom 2 for Bethesda. The studio is also considered an experienced remasterer: the 2023 reissue of System Shock also comes from Nightdive.
And since the extremely successful Oblivion Remaster, which was released in spring this year, it should be clear that Bethesda is currently pursuing a strategy of reviving its big brands with the help of remastered versions from external studios. So far, Nightdive has proven to be a competent partner – although most of its previous projects have been single-player games. It remains to be seen whether the studio can now also bring a legendary multiplayer shooter up to date. What do you think of the rumored Quake 3 Arena remaster? Have you played the old Quake 3? Let us know in the comments!
