Quake gets free update 30 years later with new MachineGames levels and archival content

Just over 30 years after the original Quake's release, the game has received a major update. MachineGames has added a new chapter called Dawn of the Machine to id Software's classic shooter, along with archival material from its development.

The new campaign includes 19 levels and continues two previous expansions by MachineGames. The protagonist of Quake finds himself trapped in "a dimension of endless illusion." The update also introduces new weapon variants: the Super Axe, which unleashes lightning on successive strikes, and the Laser Cannon, firing ricocheting projectiles that tear through enemies from every angle.

In addition to gameplay content, the update adds a gallery of archival materials related to Quake's development. Among them are several playable levels created early in production that were never finished. Level names like "Tim," "Tim10A," and "Tim14," along with developer notes, offer a glimpse into the creative process: "Lots of tight hallways make navigation tough, and similarly there are many dead ends that were not completed, so it is not entirely clear what the idea was."

The update was announced at QuakeCon during a panel featuring id Software co-founder John Romero. He noted with laughter that the announcement was happening not on the 30th anniversary of Quake's release, which was in June 1996, but on the 30th anniversary of his departure from id Software.

Quake famously marked the end of an era for id: after its development, Romero, American McGee, Michael Abrash, Sandy Petersen, and others left the company. Petersen recently said that "Quake ruined id Software." The studio, however, carried on and released Quake 2 and Quake 3, as well as the critically acclaimed modern Doom games.

Now id faces new adversity following substantial layoffs imposed by Microsoft as part of its plan to "reset" the Xbox business. id co-founder John Carmack, reacting to the news of the layoffs, said it "is certainly going to dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon." Romero, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, and Tom Hall were scheduled to appear at a founders reunion panel on Saturday for "a rare conversation."