Thirty years after id Software followed Wolfenstein 3D and Doom with Quake, the landmark PC shooter is being celebrated with a new expansion and a limited Nine Inch Nails merchandise collection. The game introduced fully 3D character models, blistering speed, arena multiplayer and the widely influential Quake Engine, while also bringing id Software together with industrial music icon Trent Reznor.
The anniversary merchandise has proved considerably more popular than the physical music release. The official store has already sold out of just about everything apart from the Quake soundtrack on LP.
Dawn of the Machine adds 19 new maps
The new expansion, Dawn of the Machine, contains a fresh episode made up of 19 original maps. MachineGames, the studio currently responsible for the Wolfenstein series, created the campaign as a return to Quake’s gothic, fully rendered world.
Although the setting remains faithful to the original game, some of the designs show the influence of newer retro-styled shooters, including David Szymanski’s acclaimed indie game Dusk. Best of all, Dawn of the Machine is free to anyone who owns the 2021 remaster of Quake.
For more coverage of classic games, hardware and industry developments, visit RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog.
Trent Reznor reflects on Quake’s creative impact
The expansion was announced at this year’s QuakeCon, where organisers also shared a pre-recorded message from original composer Trent Reznor.
“Many years ago, when I first encountered Wolfenstein, it felt impossible. Doom comes out. It was like a bomb went off… It felt a parallel to what I was trying to do with music. Misshaping things and trying to express myself. Really felt a connection to it.”
Reznor was already an id Software enthusiast during his MTV-fuelled period and enthusiastically took on the music and sound work for Quake. The partnership also appeared inside the game: ammunition boxes for the nailgun carried the Nine Inch Nails insignia.
Quake merchandise disappears from shelves
That nail box became one of the more unusual items in the anniversary range. The collection also included replicas of the box and the distinctive black shirt Reznor wore when he met filmmaker David Lynch. Almost the entire range has now sold out, leaving the Quake music LP as the notable exception.
For collectors building a dedicated gaming space, RETROCADE’s range of arcade machines offers another way to bring classic gaming into the home, while the Arcade Videos section covers the wider arcade scene.
Why Quake still matters to PC gaming
PC shooters have changed repeatedly since 1996, but Quake and QuakeCon have remained part of the conversation. Its arena multiplayer helped give PC gaming a new focus through LAN parties, and the Quake Engine went on to support important games including Hexen and Half-Life.
That legacy is secure, although the series’ future is less certain. Major changes at id Software’s parent company, Microsoft, have included severe restructuring, with subsequent layoffs reportedly affecting the developers behind the Doom series particularly heavily.
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