Quake Live's open beta is blowing away id Software's expectations, so much so the developer is considering working on a free, web browser version of Quake Enemy Territories, said id's Todd Hollenshead.
"The participation in the open beta is 50 percent higher than what we expected," Hollenshead said. The beta was perhaps too successful, at least in the raw numbers, with a massive queue forming when the beta kicked off.
It was so bad that id rewarded the players who sat through the wait with a special achievement that showed an angry face with the words: Position in Queue 501337.
But Hollenshead admits the id Software wasn't exactly sure in the beginning that people who be interesting in playing a nearly ten old game, even if it was for free.
"We didn't know," he said. "I had my concerns. Are people going to show up?"
Quake Live is a free version of id's 1999 Quake III Arena played in a browser and supported by ads. In the first six hours after launch, more than 110,000 accounts were created in the game. Convincing both id they had made the right decision.
"There was an enormous response on day one," he said. "We were impressed with it."
The sign ups for the game, also showed where people were playing the game. The top four countries, Hollenshead said, were the U.S., Germany, UK and Poland.
Now the developer is working on the game's choke points, trying to iron out the hitches in the beta. They're advertising partner for the game, IGA, is also busy working to sell ads for the game, which appear on load screens and as banners on the stats page.
After id Software makes Quake live a success, Hollenshead says that the company may extend the idea of free web-based games to other titles.
"Probably, the next thing would be Wolfenstein Enemy Territory," he said. "I think that box games are going to go the way of the buggy whip."