Quakecon 2018 Recap & DOOM Eternal Reveal

Published: August 10, 2018 3:38 PM /

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quakecon keynote 2018 red

We're smack in the middle of Quakecon 2018! We got to see a lot of cool games from some of the longest-running veterans in the industry, but the highlight had to be the extended gameplay showcase of DOOM Eternal. Let's have a quick rundown of what we saw!

To start things off, the entire keynote is up on YouTube. If you'd like to experience the magic for yourself, take a look at it right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd87p39jcQo

One of the first big announcements is the acquisition of Escalation Studios by Bethesda Game Studios. Escalation Studios has a long history of co-developing games, contributing their skills to various companies over the years. Some of their prior work includes the Snapmap feature in 2016's DOOM, the multiplayer for RAGE, and the PASS Time game mode for Team Fortress 2. Escalation Studios is located in Dallas, Texas making it Bethesda's second Texas location after their Austin office.

Quake Champions, the latest iteration of the fast-paced first-person shooter, had opened a trial of the free-to-play version during E3. The fine folks behind the game happily announced that Quake Champions will be going permanently free-to-play as of... well, right now.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends will have a new expansion called Isle of Madness. The expansion will have cards themed around the realm of the Daedric Prince Sheogorath.

The TES news doesn't end there - The Elder Scrolls Online: Wolfhunter will have players venturing into two werewolf-themed dungeons, one of which is the realm of Hircine, the Daedric Prince of the Hunt. Wolfhunter will be available on PC & Mac on Monday, August 13, 2018, and on Xbox One & PlayStation 4 on August 28, 2018. A launch trailer has been released which shows off some of the more interest bits of this upcoming DLC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6QXp3vWyUk

Players will be able to check out The Elder Scrolls Online: Murkmire later this year. This DLC will focus on the home of the Argonians in Blackmarsh with a storyline that's just about as big as last year's Clockwork City DLC. You'll be trying to recover a powerful Argonian relic, although what it does and how you'll use it will remain up to you to discover. Of course, you'll also be able to immerse yourself in the delightful strangeness of the Argonians and their culture.

RAGE 2 fans were graced with over seven minutes of gameplay - have a peek at the Eden Assault gameplay video to see what it's all about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZTCpdj8iA

DOOM Eternal was the next title that Bethesda decided to show off. This is going to be the next game in the longrunning franchise featuring a particularly angry man beating the snot out of an endless horde of demons.

The demo introduced several cool new weapons and features. The double-barrelled shotgun will have a harpoon that allows players to grapple onto walls or enemies and pull themselves closer. The new Ballista weapon is the kind of stuff out of Wookiee warfare - a deadly explosive crossbow that reduces enemies into a pile of unidentifiable gore.

There were three segments overall in the extended gameplay reveal of DOOM Eternal. The first one felt terribly slow, probably because it was done with a controller. The second one switched to a mouse & keyboard which clearly ramped up the speed. The third one is perhaps the best and most comprehensive; have a look at it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2lJ3mmQC4

An interesting element added to Doom Eternal is the "Invader" system. Much like Dark Souls, players will be able to "invade" the games of other players and take control of demons either by themselves or as a team. The ability to be invaded is completely optional and you can turn it off if you prefer to be left to fight the bad guys alone.

"We're not just making a DOOM game anymore - we're building a DOOM universe," said DOOM Eternal's Game Director Marty Stratton. Everything we saw in the demo just looked more grandiose overall. Take a peek at this gallery of images to see some of the more interesting bits for yourself:

[gallery size="full" link="file" ids="248309,248310,248311,248314,248313,248312"]

DOOM Eternal will be coming to the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Yes, you heard that right - it will also be on the Nintendo Switch.

If you've got a bit of a hankering for some guns & gore, Xbox Games Pass subscribers can pick up DOOM and RAGE right now.

That's it for our recap of the Quakecon 2018 Keynote! Bethesda, iD, and everyone else certainly showed off some interesting things. We'll be sure to hear more about these great games in the coming weeks and months!

Which game from the keynote are you most looking forward to? Do you like the direction DOOM Eternal is heading in? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N