For many, the glory days of FPS gaming will always be back in the 90s, especially with id Software's early work, such as Wolfenstein, Doom 1, Doom 2, and 1996's Quake. With John Romero recently discussing Quake's sheer speed, it's a game that has been etched into the mind of the older gamers, with its gothic architecture, haunting soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails, and fast-paced action. With the classically dark shooter recently being revamped through Steam, there's hopeful talk of a new game in the series, and some recent job postings may hint that such a dream could become a reality.
According to a series of job listings on Zenimax's website, the parent of id Software, the company is looking to hire a bunch of new recruits who will be working for the Doom and Quake studio. While no details are given about the project newcomers will be working on, some of the advertised posts mention that candidates will be helping in the development of a "long-running iconic action FPS," with the skybox artist vacancy mentioning "sci-fi and fantasy" environments, which could indicate a lean towards more Quake, which does have darkly fantastical assets.
It would be tempting to say it could be in relation to a new Doom game, however the rebooted series has gone more for a hellscape, almost horror aesthetic, so doesn't really fit the sci-fi or fantasy callout. Even if Zenimax is not looking to hire people for a new Quake game entirely, it could be argued that a Quake reboot is certainly something that wouldn't go amiss. With the mid-90s game now 25-years-old, plenty of time has passed to warrant the game being remade with modern gaming technology. But a brand-new entry in the series would be just as welcome, if not more so.
Either way, something exciting is on the cards, and it's looking like it could hearken back to old school FPS gaming. The recent Quake remaster has proven to be popular, implementing 4K visuals and reinstating one of John Romero's old maps. The gaming world is seemingly at a remaster and remake peak, breathing new life into old games for a modern audience, and now seems like a perfect time to bring back id's classic gothic shooter.
Quake is one of the most influential FPS games of its generation, perhaps even beyond. For Zenimax to be looking for people to work on a sci-fi and fantasy game that invokes an "iconic" series from id Software is pretty big news. It's exciting to find out what exactly the studio has up its sleeves, but it will likely be a while before any news is announced about what it actually will be.
Quake Remastered is available on Steam.
Source: Zenimax jobs (Senior technical animator), Zenimax jobs (Skybox artist)