id warns media over leaked Quake IV art

By GamesIndustry International Published 21 July, 2003

Legendary developer up in arms after concept images are leaked.

An official statement from legendary developer id Software has warned both print and online media that the company will refuse to work with any publication which reproduces a number of leaked images of forthcoming PC first person shooter Quake 4.

The statement was issued jointly by id and publisher Activision, and refers to a large number of concept art images and renders which were released onto the Internet on Friday - allegedly after being taken from a company network by hackers, according to some sources.

The company is also thought to have issued legal threats to at least one website which linked to the images.

"We do not know the source of these leaked assets," explains the official statement. "Please be warned that id Software has instructed Activision that we are not to work with any magazine which uses any of these assets. If any magazine does so, id Software will not allow any assets for id games to be sent to these magazines in the future."

Quake IV, like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, is a continuation of a popular id Software franchise which is being developed by a different studio (Raven, in this instance) under the supervision of id itself. No firm date for the launch of the game has yet been set, but it is not expected until Mid '04 at the earliest.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 9 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #1 9 years ago

    In fairness, they're not screenshots. It's all concept art and sketches. Quite nice though, some of it...

  • Rusta #2 9 years ago

    I'm warning ID that I might not buy..I mean download their game if I don't see the pics now.

  • ray #3 9 years ago

    Too late, id! I already got them!

    Actually they are screenshots directly from Maya of some ingame characters and some conceptual sketches on paper.

    id=hevay metal.

  • FWB #4 9 years ago

    Raven? It might be good then.

  • Thorbar #5 9 years ago

    This wouldn't have anything to do with http://www.ravengames.com/quake4/leaked_screenshots.php would it?
    Edited by Thorbar at 21/07/03 @ 17:52

  • UncleLou #6 9 years ago

    Most of Raven's games have been kind of ok, but hardly great. I've definitely enjoyed the original ID titles more than Raven's efforts.

  • FWB #7 9 years ago

    Well I definitely enjoyed Heretic, Hexen and JK2 more than any of ID's efforts. Ok, so Doom 1 adn Wolfenstein were great, but all the Quakes were pretty mundane.

  • Thamuhacha #8 9 years ago

    > Go and hang your head in shame FWB, get out.

    Nope. Fair play.

    Having said that, Quake had a good atmosphere and some serious terror moments.

    Quake 2 was not a real leap forward, and Quake 3 became obselete as soon as Unreal Tournament came out.

  • Zero Beat #9 9 years ago

    UT came out before Quake III didn't it? I preferred UT anyway, never found either Quake or Quake II all that impressive before that either.

  • inpHilltr8r #10 9 years ago

    ID make engines, Raven make games, with those engines. This has pretty much been the way since Doom 2.

    [edit] Agree with FWB, the Quake series may have been excellent m/p death match games, but as single player games, they're tech demos.
    Edited by inpHilltr8r at 21/07/03 @ 20:55

  • HoriZon #11 9 years ago

    What if us none media type people add them to our own sites ?

  • UncleLou #12 9 years ago

    ID make engines, Raven make games, with those engines.

    No. This is one of these clichés that get repeated and repeated again and again, which doesn't make them true. Quake 1 was an excellent single player experience when it was out, and I even enjoyed Quake 3 single player. Not to mention Doom, Wolfenstein etc., which admittedly was quite some time ago.

    The Raven games, well. Soldier of Fortune? Crap. Heretic? Nope, not my cup of tea. Elite Force? Good, but nothing special at all. Raven's games have no wit, no originality, no style. JK2 was good though, I'll give you that. It's a matter of personal preferences, in the end, but I am just so tired of that old "ID is making tech demos" cliché.

    ID's games are often simple, but always extremely playable, a bit like Diablo in that respect.

  • JammyB #13 9 years ago

    Raven are the kings of the mediocre FPS - a day or two's worth of entertainment and some bland level design is certainly not worth my £30. I don't know why people get excited at all, it's not like they haven't been doing this for years now.

  • FWB #14 9 years ago

    /Zoom
    /A shadow, dress in black rushes out of the darkness

    Well I still have had more fun with Raven's products. SoF2 wasn't too shabby (the demo, that is), and the Hexen/Heretic series were great fun MP co-op.

    /Zoom
    /Shadow vanishes as fast as it appeared, not before clipping kier, lou and JammyB behind the ears.

    Oh, lou, someone is saying nasty things about your precious in the B17 thread. :)

  • UncleLou #15 9 years ago

    What????

    /grabs double-barrel shotgun

    /heads to thread

  • praetorian #16 9 years ago

    Sounds like a cheap marketing ploy to generate interest in the game, if you ask me...

  • pjmaybe #17 9 years ago

    Woooohhhh! ID warning people! My god, I'm scared.

    Bloody hyping bastards they are. If they're doing this over the preproduction art, what are they going to do when people start shoving up screenshots all over the net?

    Quake (like Doom III) is a "yesterday" game, unless you really are one of these retarded types who has to own every single FPS ever made...

    Peej

  • speedjack #18 9 years ago

    Just downloaded them and I've got to say I'm impressed. The renders in particular look amazing. Not sure how all this will look once its stuck in the Doom III engine - but its nice to see them further expanding on the Strogg race and the HG Geiger alien/cyborg theme.

    ... And sorry PJ. Gotta disagree. The Strogg were probably the best baddies ever and I for one will be happy too see them back.

  • Midnight_Raven #19 9 years ago

    "...and the HG Geiger alien/cyborg theme..."

    That´s H.R. Giger, surely... ;)

    /picks happily at nit

  • inpHilltr8r #20 9 years ago

    >Quake 1 was an excellent single player experience when it was out and I even enjoyed Quake 3 single player.

    Masochist. Even ID admit there was no real single player game in Q3, and they lost major points in Quake for moving from tens of enemies on screen, to one or two. Especially since the AI at the time wasn't up to much. Quake 2 was just sloppy. Lovingly programmed I'm sure, but the level design, bleargh....

    > Not to mention Doom, Wolfenstein etc., which admittedly was quite some time ago.

    ...and all pre-Doom2, which was the cut-off date I mentioned.

    Oh, and I hated Unreal. Amazing first couple of levels, then utter shit.

  • kissoon #21 9 years ago

    Pijamarama wrote:

    "Quake (like Doom III) is a "yesterday" game, unless you really are one of these retarded types who has to own every single FPS ever made...

    Peej"


    LOL.

    I just read a thread in the forum about Midnight Club and Midtown Madness where you state that your collection is consisted by at least 60% of driving games.

    What the fuck gives you the right to call anyone who enjoys playing fps's a retard? Why is it perfectly ok to enjoy driving games and then positively retarded to like a sequel to a good fps?

    It's this kind of ludicrous generalization that makes people think YOU are retarded!

    Are you an otto clone?? :) (no offense there otto you have every right not to enjoy fps's)

  • PuffyPipe #22 9 years ago

    I love it when someone gets one over on a company that thinks they are bigger then everyone else. I smile happly at the thought of the bosses at ID going mad and running round at someone hacking there computers and stealing stuff.

    Small things make me smile, Fight the machine!