Quake IV skipping QuakeCon 2004

Besides addressing the hardcore gaming element in his latest column, CNN/Money correspondent Chris Morris also revealed some disappointing but unsurprising news. For the third year since it was announced at the event, Quake IV will be a no-show at QuakeCon.

Talking to Morris, id CEO Todd Hollenshead said there were "no plans" to show the game, which is being codeveloped by Raven Software (Hexen, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy). Lead designer Tim Willits was more talkative. "We've been happy with what [Raven has] done, but it's too early to show," he said.

Willits was also more candid about the reasons behind Quake IV's no-show. "We've been trying not to whip people into a frenzy with [Quake IV]," he said. "When we show the game, we want it to be something that's really impressive for the people who have been waiting for it." Willits also admitted the unforgiving nature of today's gamer. "The guys who love you the most are also the people who will blast you the hardest if you piss them off," he said.

Currently, the PC-only Quake IV has no release date. As with id's other major project, Doom 3, the title will be published by Activision.