The original esports FPS Quake has returned. Quake Champions is in beta and an announcement is expected at games show E3 in Los Angeles next week.
But what do former pro players and Quake veterans think of the title? How does Quake Champions compare to the former games, like the original and Quake III Arena?
We asked the first full-time pro gamer, Johnathan “FATAL1TY” Wendel, and the UK’s first pro gamer, Sujoy Roy, for their views.
FATAL1TY: ‘When CoD or CSGO players hop in, they’ll realise, wow this is fast, it’s fun’
“I did a 24-hour stream on Twitch when the NDA lifted a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun, I had a good time. I felt a lot of nostalgia playing it, to play that type of game again.
“It has a new game mode called ‘Sacrifice’, which has a cool concept of teamwork going on.
“I think it’ll be interesting to see what news comes out next week. I know they have a big announcement at E3 (June 13th to 15th), I think they’re taking a spot at the ESL Arena during one of the days.
“I think they have a big vision for what they want to do. In a lot of ways Quake was kind of like the beginning of inventing prizes in competitions [in games]. If you go back to the days of Dennis Fong, he received a Ferrari for winning that Quake tournament in 1997.
“I think it’ll be interesting to see what news comes out next week. I know they have a big announcement at E3.”
“With Quake Champions, they have some optimisation they’re aiming to do, it’s a closed beta right now, it’s not quite done. It takes time to get it all figured out.
“But I think a lot of people will really enjoy it. Guys who play Counter-Strike or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or Battlefield, or Call of Duty or whatever, when they hop into Quake they’ll realise: ‘Wow this game is fast, it’s fun’.
“So it’s definitely a different type of gaming experience that people are used to, and so if they’re interested in diving into a new game and trying to master something new, there’s a lot to offer in Quake Champions.”
Sujoy: ‘It feels good, I’m enjoying it so far’
Speaking to GG Magazine, Sujoy Roy said: “Now Quake Champions is in beta, I’m playing and it feels good.
“There’s something to playing a game that you understand and you have this instinctive grasp of. It makes you feel like, kind of a superhero you know? Like you have these special abilities that make the world easier for you.
“I’m enjoying Quake so far, but I doubt I’ll play as much as I used to!
“I can’t be playing all hours of the day, but I’ll play Quake, and who knows, maybe I’ll get involved with the community.”
“I have a job, I have things to do, I have a social life to maintain, I can’t be playing all hours of the day… But I’ll play Quake, and who knows, maybe I’ll get involved with the community. I’d love to get more involved.
“Maybe I can get on commentary panels or do some analysis or see if I can contribute to the scene in any way. I’ll be playing Quake again for sure.”
Check back on Esports News UK soon for our in-depth two-part interview with FATAL1TY
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
