This regurgitated AI slop is what Microsoft is doing with the Quake IP

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Over the past few years, Microsoft has been pouring substantial resources into AI, with a commitment exceeding $100 billion towards its various artificial intelligence projects. Recently, a sneak peek was shared with gamers of their new Copilot Gaming Experience, which unfortunately appeared to be a subpar remake of the classic first-person shooter game Quake 2. Check it out here.

Over the weekend, we became aware of a situation that sparked strong criticism from fans of the Quake series. This was triggered by a tweet from Geoff Keighley, often referred to as God Emperor of Video Games, which didn’t sit well with the community. For instance, Rod “Slasher” Breslau, Supreme Chancellor of Esports, expressed his displeasure by saying, “Wow! It’s dogshit!” Gman added his thoughts, asking if anyone was genuinely impressed or intrigued by what was presented as sloppy work. Nightdive Studios Host Miss Slaughter urged Geoff to delete the post. Adam Butterworth, an audio test engineer at Remedy Games, summarized the feelings of many when he stated that this behavior from the company, which has let go of over 11,900 people in two years, was “Disgusting.” There were countless more angry and frustrated reactions directed towards Geoff for sharing the video and Microsoft for believing this would be welcomed by gamers, especially long-suffering fans of Quake.

In simpler terms, the demonstration of the web-based gaming experience, called Copilot Gaming, falls short when compared to the original game released in 1997. The demo has issues like laggy input, stuttering, no audio, low resolution, and many other problems. Despite being a prototype, it doesn’t come close to the company’s aim of using AI for game preservation. The demo requires more processing power than what was needed in the 1990s and offers poorer performance because every frame is generated on-the-fly by an AI model.

As a dedicated gamer, I was optimistic when Microsoft bought ZeniMax Media, home to iconic studios like Bethesda and id Software. I had high hopes that legendary series like Quake would resurface with the backing of such a financially mighty corporation. But to learn that they’re using Quake 2 as training data for another AI tool feels disheartening to many gamers, including myself. It’s particularly saddening given the years we’ve spent watching Quake Champions lose its shine and the once vibrant FPS esport slip into obscurity.

If you’re interested in testing this AI demo, it can only be accessed through a web browser. However, spending your time on Shacknews’ first game, Bubbletron, might be more rewarding since it’s also browser-based but offers sound, music, and smoother frame rates. Alternatively, you could try the outstanding Quake 2 remaster from Nightdive Studios, which was launched in 2023.

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2025-04-06 23:57