Tournament details fuel Doom III date speculation
QuakeCon will host the world's first Doom III tournament in mid-August, and Id reckons "there won't be anyone there who has had time to practice or master the game". They may have some time, though.
Id Software is planning to host the world's first Doom III multiplayer tournament at its annual QuakeCon get-together between August 12th and 15th, the Texas-based developer announced this week, fuelling ongoing speculation that the highly anticipated FPS will be out at the beginning of that month.
Speculation has spread like RL splash damage lately following retail solicitations and trade rumours that Doom III will be out on August 3rd in the States, and various trade and retail sources in the UK now point to August 13th. However, id Software has never budged from its "when it's done" mantra - a line that publisher Activision also regurgitates whenever prompted.
Furthermore, the QuakeCon tournament announcement seems keen not to dwell on the game's release estimate, other than to claim, "there has never been a more level playing field," and that, "there won't be anyone who has had time to practice or master the game." Which is certainly some mindful wording - it's not an explicit denial of the August 3rd/13th rumours, but it hardly confirmation either.
The tournament itself will be a 128-player deathmatch championship, with up to $150,000 in cash and prizes - some Doom III related - courtesy of sponsors NVIDIA. More details on the finer points of the tournament, other attractions and how to get involved if you're in the area can be located at QuakeCon.org.
