To the surprise of no one, Quake 2 Remastered was stealth dropped by Bethesda. What is surprising is that the re-release has a ton of new content, including an 8-player split-screen that ensures multiplayer chaos.
After quietly releasing the remastered shooter, Bethesda released an FAQ surrounding all of the new details. While most of the systems will have the standard 4-player multiplayer, those playing on Xbox Series and PC will have access to insane 8-player split-screen modes.
Making this feature more mouthwatering for fans is that there is also cross-play with the remaster. Filling out those 8-player sessions should be easy for Xbox and PC players, given their install base. Plus, this classic shooter is on Game Pass, ensuring that most Xbox players will get the chance to try it out.
In case fans are wondering why Quake 2 Remastered only has 8-player multiplayer on Xbox Series and PC, Microsoft owns Bethesda. Seeing it on PlayStation and Switch isn’t a huge surprise, given previous re-releases, but Xbox was bound to get special treatment.
Admittedly, this might be the first time one of these Bethesda remasters has a superior version. Prior to this, the re-releases of classic DOOM, DOOM 2, and DOOM 64 were near identical on all systems.
While non-Xbox players might be lamenting the lack of 8-player multiplayer, there’s still plenty of content to enjoy. All versions of the remaster include improved visuals, enhanced AI, the original expansions, and a whole new campaign Call of the Machine. Even the N64 version is included and we doubt anyone expected that.
Bethesda has been busy ever since they were purchased by Microsoft. Currently, everyone is waiting for the release of Starfield, which could be one of the biggest Xbox exclusives ever. An exclusive Indiana Jones game is also being worked on, though there were originally plans to bring it to PS5.
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Curious players can get Quake 2 Remastered right now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.