Quake Live Open Beta Ends, Three Plans Emerge

By Kevin Parrish
published

QUAKE LIVE has officially come out of beta, offering three plans.

Friday id Software announced that the QUAKE LIVE beta had ended and would now offer three plans: Standard, Premium and Pro. Gamers still wanting to play for free will be converted to the Standard account which will offer access to friend lists, matchmaking, stats tracking, and access to one clan.

For those wanting a little more, the Premium Subscription will cost $1.99 per month (billed annually) and will grant access to 20 QUAKE LIVE Premium-only maps at launch. Subscribers will also have access to an all-new "Freeze Tag" game mode, exclusive premium level rewards, the ability to create a clan (and join up to five) and more.

As for the Pro Subscription, this will cost $3.99 per month (billed annually) and will include all the Premium offers plus a few extra perks: the ability to start your own game server, exclusive pro awards, means to invite three Standard accounts to play on a Premium map, an option to create a clan (and join up to twelve), and more.

Previously known as Quake Zero, QUAKE LIVE is a browser-based version of id Software's classic FPS, Quake 3 Arena. The game originally launched in 2007 and went into closed, invitation-only beta in 2008. Gamers finally gained public access last year, however the current "financial scheme" was unable to keep the project afloat. Premium services were eventually announced at QuakeCon 2009.

Kevin Parrish
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • shloader
    Worth it to keep it going if you're enough of a Q3A fan. They're not asking some outrageous amount, just genuine community support.
    Reply
  • socrates047
    i think its a good direction (like BF Heroes) to have it free.. we cant always be in front of our rigs can we?
    Reply
  • Thunderfox
    If you're enough of a Q3A fan to be paying for it, you won't be playing it in a web browser window.
    Reply
  • CoryInJapan
    yea...The prices are perfectly fine to keep the game going for the core fans.
    Reply
  • schmich
    Is the idea still to make money off ads? (now on top of subscriptions) I really wouldn't mind having a game with ads if it's to make it free. Wouldn't be hard to get $3.99 per month per player with ads considering the amount we often play. Also comes hand-in-hand in the sense that the people who play the most = the people who use the server's the most = the people who would give a larger revenue.
    Reply
  • dco
    As fun as Q3A was back in the day, new fps have runied any classics with their superior sexy graphics
    Reply
  • nevertell
    ThunderfoxIf you're enough of a Q3A fan to be paying for it, you won't be playing it in a web browser window. I think the hardcore fans will still be paying, even if they won't be playing it in a browser, just to support one of the best game devs out there.
    Reply
  • kd0frg
    bleh.. give me quakeworld or give me death!
    Reply
  • Trialsking
    CoryInJapanyea...The prices are perfectly fine to keep the game going for the core fans.

    Exactly, but if they can get goofballs to pay for such and old game, more power to them!
    Reply
  • killbits
    the browser version (quake live) has much better graphics, effects, etc. than the original cd-rom version from 10 years ago. the dev team has done a great job of updating the engine + optimizing it to run in a browser. the graphics are actually amazing for an engine over a decade old. it's not really even a typical "browser-based" game per se, the browser just gives you access to the quake live client. all that being said it's still the action + gameplay that makes it a great game, not the graphics. either way there is a very large community who still play quake. not sure how many are going to shell out 24 dollars a year to keep it going, though.
    Reply