Quake (video game)

This article is about the video game. For the series, see Quake (series).

Quake
Developer(s)id Software[a]
Publisher(s)GT Interactive[b]
Designer(s)John Romero
American McGee
Sandy Petersen
Tim Willits
Programmer(s)John Carmack
Michael Abrash
John Cash
Artist(s)Adrian Carmack
Kevin Cloud
Paul Steed
Composer(s)
Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails[10]
  • Nintendo 64
    Aubrey Hodges
    Scourge of Armagon, Dissolution of Eternity
    Jeehun Hwang
SeriesQuake
EngineQuake engine[c]
Platform(s)
Release
June 22, 1996
  • MS-DOS, Windows
    • NA: June 22, 1996 (shareware)[2]
    • NA: July 22, 1996 (full version)[1]
    • EU: August 25, 1996[3]
    • WW: May 31, 2007 (Steam)
  • Linux
    • WW: July 5, 1996[4]
  • Mac OS
  • Saturn
    • EU: November 27, 1997[6]
    • NA: December 2, 1997
  • Nintendo 64
    • NA: March 24, 1998
    • EU: May 24, 1998
  • Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • WW: August 19, 2021[7]
  • PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
    • WW: October 12, 2021[8]
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Quake is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive. The first game in the Quake series,[13] it was originally released for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux in 1996, followed by Mac OS and Sega Saturn in 1997 and Nintendo 64 in 1998.

The game's plot is centered around teleportation experiments, dubbed slipgates, which have resulted in an unforeseen invasion of Earth by a hostile force codenamed Quake, which commands a vast army of monsters. The player takes the role of a soldier (later dubbed Ranger), whose mission is to travel through the slipgates in order to find and destroy the source of the invasion. The game is split between futuristic military bases and medieval, gothic environments, featuring both science fiction and fantasy weaponry and enemies as the player battles possessed soldiers and demonic beasts such as ogres or armor-clad knights. Quake heavily takes inspiration from gothic fiction and in particular the works of H. P. Lovecraft. The game went through many revisions during development, and had originally been inspired by a Dungeons & Dragons campaign held among id Software staff.[14]

The successor to id Software's Doom series, Quake built upon the technology and gameplay of its predecessor.[15] Unlike the Doom engine before it, the Quake engine offered full real-time 3D rendering and had early support for 3D acceleration through OpenGL. After Doom helped popularize multiplayer deathmatches, Quake added various multiplayer options. Online multiplayer became increasingly common, with the QuakeWorld update and software such as QuakeSpy making the process of finding and playing against others on the Internet easier and more reliable. Quake featured music composed by Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails.[10]

Quake is often cited as one of the best video games ever made.[16][17][18] Despite its critical acclaim, Quake's development was controversial in the history of id Software. Due to creative differences and a lack of leadership, the majority of the team left the company after the game's release, including co-founder John Romero.[19] An "enhanced" version of Quake was developed by Nightdive Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One consoles in August 2021, including the original game's first two expansions and two episodes developed by MachineGames. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released in October 2021.[8]

  1. ^ "blue's Quake Rag - July News". Blue's News. July 1997. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
    July 19 - The registered Quake will ship on Monday, July 22: "The latest update from Mike Wilson of id Software: '...the full version of quake will be shipping to our direct order customers on monday!'"
  2. ^ "id Software's QUAKE hits retail outlets worldwide; QUAKE and a Slurpee - Gamers can pick up QUAKE shareware at 7-Eleven". Business Wire. August 30, 1996. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2022 – via The Free Library.
  3. ^ "Online Gaming Review". February 10, 1998. Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "blue's Quake Rag - July News". Blue's News. July 1997. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
    July 5 - Linux Quake Released: "Dave Taylor's eagerly awaited Linux port of Quake 0.91 (303 KB) has been released."
  5. ^ "blue's Quake Rag - August 23-29, 1997 News". Blue's News. August 1997. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
    Thursday, August 28, 1997 - MacQuake Out?: "I've heard from several people that the full MacQuake is now available in stores."
  6. ^ "sega-online.quake! (saturn)". February 1, 1998. Archived from the original on February 1, 1998. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Quake rated for modern consoles and PC". Polygon. August 19, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Quake's free "next-gen" upgrade now available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5". Eurogamer. October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Bailey, Alasdair (October 30, 2000). "Quake - Getting Started". Acorn Arcade. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "American McGee on Quake". Quaddicted. 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  11. ^ "Quake Version 1.07 on RS/6000 Systems". Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "BeOS software repository directed to from be.com". Archived from the original on December 16, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "Retro Diary". Retro Gamer (104). Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing: 13. July 2012. ISSN 1742-3155. OCLC 489477015.
  14. ^ Poole, Steve (October 1995). "Brace Yourself for Quake". PC Gamer. pp. 64–70.
  15. ^ Hsu, Dan (October 1997). "Creature Feature". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 99. Ziff Davis. p. 102.
  16. ^ Gordon, David (February 6, 1999). "The 50 Best Video games: A Legend In Your Own Living-Room". The Independent.
  17. ^ "The 100 Greatest Games Of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  18. ^ "FHM's 100 Greatest Games of All Time". FHM.com. January 11, 2010. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference mastersdoom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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