Ars Technica Gaming — Gaming — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:00:02 +0000
Summary
To mark the 30th anniversary of id Software's original Quake, publisher Bethesda has released a new campaign chapter titled "Dawn of the Machine," developed by MachineGames in collaboration with id Software. The maps were created by "Quake Club," a group of MachineGames employees who build Quake levels in their spare time, using the modern TrenchBroom map editor, which enabled a scope beyond what was typical for late-1990s Quake maps. The chapter includes 19 new levels with new gameplay mechanics, such as a time loop system and an automatic teleportation effect that makes levels appear to change on the fly, similar to time-shifting levels in Titanfall 2 or Dishonored 2. It also adds new music and several new enemy and weapon variants.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the launch of the original Quake by id Software, if you could believe it. To commemorate that, publisher Bethesda has released a new campaign chapter for the game, titled “Dawn of the Machine.”
This is part of a series of new campaign chapters, all developed by MachineGames “in collaboration with id Software.” MachineGames is best known for making the games in the relatively recent Wolfenstein reboot series, as well as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The Quake maps are made by a team dubbed “Quake Club,” which includes several MachineGames employees who work on Quake maps in their spare time.
The ambition and scope of some of these maps is beyond what was typical for Quake maps back in the late ’90s, thanks in part to the team’s use of TrenchBroom, a newer map editor that works well on modern systems and is easier to work with and more capable than what folks were using in those days.
There are 19 new levels, and they have several new gameplay gimmicks, like a time loop mechanic and a disorienting-but-cool teleportation system that makes it look like the levels are changing on the fly—kind of similar to the multi-time-period levels we saw in Titanfall 2 or Dishonored 2, though in these Quake maps the time shifts happen without player input. There’s also new music and a handful of new enemy and weapon variants.
Original article: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/new-official-30th-anniversary-quake-mission-pack-adds-new-maps-and-mechanics/ Source: Ars Technica Gaming