Quake Champions will run through Steam, id Software confirms

In an audience Q&A blog published last week, an id Software spokesperson confirmed that Quake Champions will run through Steam. That might not seem revelatory, but since the current beta launches exclusively through Bethesda.net, many had suspected the final game would too.

"Quake Champions will indeed be released on Steam," Bethesda Softwares senior producer Jason Bergman wrote. "You will still be required to have a linked Bethesda.net account, but users playing the game from Steam will not go through the Bethesda.net launcher."

In other news from the Q&A, id Software lead designer Adam Pyle said the studio is currently focused on improving "performance, network code, and stability of the game", as well as gameplay balancing. Beyond immediate focuses, improving "Onboarding and Progress Loops" remains to be seen to. 

"Our onboarding efforts include additional tutorials, training maps, and UI/UX improvements to build a better user experience for all our future newcomers. The implementation of new progression loops introduces new game systems we’ve designed to keep players coming back throughout the week, every week," Pyle wrote.

On the topic of playable characters (ie, champions), the newly added BJ Blazkowicz is getting nerfed a tad, while Clutch will get some tweaks to improve his effectiveness. The full rundown of all intended champion tweaks can be read over on the page, as can many other interesting tidbits regarding the shooter.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.