Quake Champions Is Free-To-Play With a For-Pay Option

When Bethesda announced Quake Champions last summer, developer id Software said it was still evaluating what business model it would use. Now, it's been confirmed that it'll be free-to-play, though people who want to pay for it will have that option.

Creative director Tim Willits shared the news with GameSpot today at PAX East. Users can play one character, Ranger, for free, or they can buy a Champion Pack to get unlimited access to him and all others. Pricing for the Champion Pack was not shared. Free players can spend in-game currency, called Favor, to unlock the other characters, but only for a certain period of time.

Id Software has yet to decide on a length, but he said he doesn't want to use the word "rent."

"At its core, it's a free-to-play game, with the option to buy the Champion Pack and just get in and play with all the Champions," he told Polygon. "There are a number of Quake players that just want to play their Quake, right? And they are familiar with the business model of our previous games, and they are totally fine. 'I want to buy the game. I want to start playing. I want to have access to all the Champions.'"

"But then we also understand that we want to get as many people into the game as possible, especially outside of North America and Western Europe, where we have a massive fan base. So we want to have the flexibility to have a free-to-play option for those people."

People who pay and those who don't won't be put into different matches, and each group will get to play on the same maps. The difference, as mentioned, involves the characters outside of Ranger.

Go to Polygon to get the full story.

Quake Champions is playable at PAX East this weekend in Boston.

In other news, a closed beta for Quake Champions is coming up--here's how to sign up. The full release of Quake Champions is scheduled for later in 2017.

Quake Champions is only coming to PC for its initial launch. However, console versions are not out of the question. It runs at 120Hz with unlocked frame rates, and id Software is aiming to get it working on a wide range of computer specs.

"We want to make sure that we have as many people as we possibly can," Willits said previously. "You'll be able to turn down your specs and get a decent game at lower-end. But we want to shine on good systems."

For more on Quake Champions, check out the stories below:

• New Quake Champions Gameplay Video Shows Off The Blood Covenant Map
• New Quake Champions Gameplay Trailer Shows Off The Agile And Lethal Character Nyx
• New Quake Champions Gameplay Trailer Arrives, Closed Beta Sign-Ups Open