Quake IV No-Show To Distress Hardcore At QuakeCon

Thanks to CNN Money for its discussion of the games industry's drive to woo the most committed videogame players, as the article explains: "Hardcore gamers only make up between 20-25 percent of the industry's annual software sales, but the buzz enthusiasts create can turn a moderate hit into a monster." The piece discusses "mecca for the hardcore" QuakeCon, but reveals that "This year, most fans were hoping to get their first glimpse of 'Quake 4,' which is being developed (under id's supervision) by Raven Software. Unfortunately, they're going to have to keep waiting. id CEO Todd Hollenshead said there are no plans to show the game at this year's QuakeCon." According to Hollenshead: "We've been happy with what [Raven has] done, but it's too early to show... When we show the game, we want it to be something that's really impressive for the people who have been waiting for it."

Comments

Dissapointing.

[TxdoHawk]

As a fairly large fan of Quake 3, I keep hoping for a glimpse under the hood of the next sequel, despite the fact that I recall hearing it'll be much more focused on single-player action.

Re:What now?

[NedR]

Let's face it, the formula the id originally became so good at is a field that they have been far outstripped in by their competitors. Doom 3 is a significant departure from this formula (becoming more survival horror-ish, and story-based, despite Carmack's argument that story in a game is like story in a porn movie). Since the guys at id pretty clearly know what they're doing, I think it's most likely that they're heading off into virgin territory (at least for them) yet again.

I must have missed the memo.

[Mirkon]

Hardcore gamers only make up between 20-25 percent of the industry's annual software sales

Putting aside the fact that the 20-25% figure is obviously straight out of a marketing exec's ass, what, exactly, constitutes a "hardcore gamer" nowadays?

Gosh, I love statistics.