The multiplayer gaming landscape has shifted dramatically. While solid single-player experiences are still easy to find, most multiplayer offerings aim to increase the competitive factor, and in the best cases, transform into an e-sport. That seems to be the goal of Quake Champions, Bethesda's new title that will feature characters with classes and special abilities.
The 2016 edition of E3 begins today, but we know how this works. The day before is dedicated almost exclusively to the press, and many companies prefer to fire all their ammunition during this stage of the expo. That brings us to Bethesda's announcements, which include the second part of Dishonored, Skyrim Special Edition for Xbox One and PS4, expansions in Fallout 4 (including building our own Vaults), and finally a Windows version of the well-received Fallout Shelter. However, the group's real novelty is Quake Champions, not only because it's the first Quake in half a decade, but also because it aims to return to a domain it knows very well: The arena.
The trailer is completely cinematic, so it doesn't convey anything about the game itself, but there's no doubt that Quake Champions is trying to follow a similar path to other multiplayer FPS games, implementing specific heroes with special abilities. At one point in the trailer, one of the warriors takes the weapon of his opponent, leaving some room for the idea of a more classic "arena mode", with a chaotic and bloody "all-against-all", but fans are making themselves heard on the Web, and the sentiment points in one direction: Quake Champions wants to compete with Overwatch, and Bethesda is promoting it as an ideal game for e-sports, covering from the casual player to the veteran who has spent years on pure "rocket jump".
Another detail that Bethesda revealed about Quake Champions is that matches will be at 120 Hz with the framerate unlocked. After that, there's nothing more. I imagine the rest of the data will be shown to the public during QuakeCon, which will take place in August. Personally, I think it would be a step back for the Quake name if Champions overemphasizes classes and abilities, however, it's necessary to be patient.
