Quake IV has been under development for quite a while at Raven Software. Not much has been said about the next installment in the popular Quake franchise, but known are a few screenshots and a piece of the plot. Here is what Activision has disclosed as far as the storyline goes.
“Earth is under siege by an alien race. The Strogg are cybernetic warriors–a mechanical frame and decaying body parts stabilized by flesh consumed in a systematic annihilation of other species and civilizations. In a desperate attempt to survive a Strogg attack on Earth, an armada of Earth’s finest warriors is sent to take the battle to the Strogg home planet. Earth’s initial assault force is nearly annihilated immediately, but one marine manages to infiltrate the base, bring down their planetary defense systems, and kill the Strogg’s collective brain and leader–the Makron. Earth assumed the destruction of the Makron would end it all, but it didn’t.
That’s where Quake II leaves off and Quake IV begins.
The Strogg are quickly regrouping. However, with the Strogg’s planetary defenses still destroyed, Earth’s forces can deliver a full and final assault. This time, you’re not alone. You are Matthew Kane, an elite member of Rhino Squad, and part of Earth’s next invasion wave. An army of soldiers are fighting with you and an arsenal of weapons and vehicles are at your disposal in this heroic and epic battle between worlds.”
Quake IV will be composed of a series of solo missions taking place in both outdoor and indoor areas. These missons are part of a military campaign against the Strogg, and you will have a large arsenal of weapons (some of them classic Quake II weapons) and some vehicles at your disposal (including armored jeeps and a Strogg hover tank).
In a recent Gamespot article Todd Hollenshead (C.E.O. at id Software) mentioned “We’ll have Quake IV multiplayer to play.” at QuakeCon 2005 (August 11 to14 in Dallas), and also added “And because it’s also the 10-year anniversary of QuakeCon, we’ll have a few other surprises as well.”
While a lot is being left out, id Software confirms that this sequel will be “a worthy successor to the Quake franchise”.
Quake IV will be using the same game engine as Doom 3 and will be released for the PC this summer, but there are rumors surrounding the release of Quake IV for the next generation Xbox as well.