• Interview
• Video

Nightdive Studios on porting, updating & adding crossplay to Quake

Taking on the task of remastering Quake is no easy task, but Nightdive took on the challenge and we spoke to a couple leads about the process.

TJ Denzer

September 23, 2021 7:00 AM

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A franchise with as hardcore of a fanbase as Quake simply cannot be handled lightly. We know a thing or two about the game and its 25-year history alongside our own, and apparently so does Nightdive Studios because that’s the studio that took on the challenge of sprucing up a beloved classic with modern conveniences and updates. It couldn’t have been easy, but we recently caught up to Nightdive’s Director of Business and Development Larry Kuperman and CEO Stephen Kick to talk about the studio’s approach to this project.

As hallowed as the ground was, Nightdive Studios had some good will and connections to help guide them into the driver’s seat of development. The team had previously worked with Bethesda and id Software on the successful remaster of Doom 64 to go along with the release of Doom Eternal, so the relationship and trust were already there. Nightdive is also no stranger to taking on the challenge of remastering a game with a fervent fandom. At this point, work on franchises like Turok and System Shock has prepared the time for what to expect and how to handle community expectations.

One of the things Kick and Kuperman feel is a major strength of Nightdive is the sheer amount of people it has on staff that have roots in the community scene of when these games had freshly come out. They are people at Nightdive who are in tune with player concerns and the feel of games like Quake. They were even able to leverage the aid of truly “O.G.” talent like Kevin Cloud to aid in perfecting the look and feel of the Quake remaster.

Want more? Be sure to check out the full Quake interview just above and tune into our YouTube channels at Shacknews and GamerHubTV for the latest video features, reviews, unboxing, and more on the latest video games, technology, and toys.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.