Where was Quake Champions at the Bethesda E3 2019 showcase?

Quake Champions launched in its Beta form back in 2017. It was revealed back at E3 2016 and the first glimpse of gameplay was given to QuakeCon 2016 attendees. The game also entered Steam Early Access in August 2017 and has since dabbled in free-to-play incarnations. It is probably no surprise to Shackers that Quake Champions was not featured at the Bethesda E3 2019 showcase.

According to Steam Charts, the game peaked at over 17,000 concurrent players but is currently averaging about 1,000 players. This is not great for a once dominant FPS franchise. Clearly, id Software has decided to focus on their other two tentpole intellectual properties Doom and Wolfenstein at this year's E3 convention. To be fair, Doom 2016 was an amazing game and really brought id Software back in a big way. MachineGames has also done a great job revitalizing the Wolfenstein series with New Order, New Colossus, and Young Bloods.

Right now, id Software needs to focus on what is working, and that clearly isn't Quake Champions. It is sad to see, as the game in its current state is actually quite fun and has most of the features that players wanted at the Early Access release.

It might be time for the Quake franchise to recede into the shadows, which is unfortunate for a community of dedicated players. It is telling that two-time QuakeCon 1v1 champion clawz lost his sponsor and spends his time streaming Apex Legends on Twitch. He was a young, up-and-coming player in Quake esports, but clearly the game didn't have the audience to support an esports scene.

Bethesda and id Software may still have something to say about Quake Champions at QuakeCon 2019, but they have already declared this to be the Year of Doom. While id quietly keeps patching Quake Champions, it just didn't make it to E3 this year. But the soul still burns..

Asif Khan

CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.