A premium subscription service for Quake Live is on the way to the free online game, according to id founder John Carmack.

During his QuakeCon keynote address, Carmack explained to the crowd that in-game advertising was not enough to support the web-based title.

"The in-game advertising stuff has not been big business," he admitted. "That's not going to be able to carry the project."

Quake Live subscriptions will allow players to configure and run their own private servers for the shooter. Carmack also noted that the game will never go entirely pay-to-play.

"Quake Live is gonna be Quake Live for the foreseeable future," he said. "It's only just now that we're going to be able to put it to the test."

As the open beta for Quake Live--id's free-to-play web-based update of Quake III continues--the developer has kicked off a new "6 new maps in 6 weeks" initiative.

The company promises "a mix of new and classic maps," with today seeing the addition of the "Hidden Fortress" map from the Dreamcast iteration of Quake III Arena.

"Already considered the best new arena created for QUAKE III Dreamcast, we chose to make very few changes in bringing this classic map to QUAKE LIVE," wrote id. "The arena was originally created by Martin Kaai Cluney, a designer for [Q3DC porting studio] Raster Productions. Kaai is now a designer at id Software working on the RAGE team."

After an extensive closed beta period, id's free-to-play version of Quake III, Quake Live, has now entered open beta testing.

The web-based title boasts 40 arenas and 5 game modes, in addition to copious amounts of late 90s nostalgia.

Sign up for a free account at the official site.

id co-founder John Carmack says that his company is currently developing a Quake III port for the iPhone, that may incorporate some of the changes made in the upcoming browser form of the title, Quake Live.

"We have Quake III up and running on the iPhone," said Carmack to MTV. "It needs a new redesign of the render to make it fast enough to be really good playing on the iPhone."

"I've got this interesting decision about it here," he continued. "If we take all that around, we may go back and take all the changes that the Quake Live team has done from the original code base and make more of a modern Quake III Arena based on the Quake Live work."

Carmack also mentioned that his company has been considering Wii development, but that other than a secretive iPhone project, none of id's... Read more

Quake Live---id Software's free web-based version of Quake III multiplayer--will finally open to the public next week, with an open beta for the shooter launching Tuesday, February 24.

Those hoping to play merely need to visit quakelive.com on or after that date.

The launch of the open beta will be accompanied by a full stat wipe. Closed beta participants that haven't played in the past 28 days will lose their accounts as well.

Revealed in 2007 as Quake Zero, the project was eventually renamed to Quake Live because of a domain squatter. For more on Quake Live, check out our chat with id Software co-founder John Carmack and executive producer Marty Stratton.

Thanks to Shacker AlexMax for the tip.

A new full-featured Quake Arena title will probably not be developed if Quake Live is not successful, according to comments made by id Software's John Carmack today.

"The door is not completely shut for another Quake project, and I'd say probably the success of Quake Live is going to determine whether or not we do another Quake Arena project," said Carmack.

"But right now the publishers aren't all that interested in a multiplayer project on there."

id Software's John Carmack today said that Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory will likely not be revived as a free-to-play, advertising supported web title in the fashion of Quake Live.

"If Quake Live is successful, the next thing that we might look at is Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory," said Carmack, "but it's hard to see how we'd do the same treatment of it."

Wolfenstein's World War II setting was cited as the main reason behind the company's hesitation.

"You're running around fighting the Nazis and there's a billboard with [an advertisement] on it," said Carmack, noting the awkward nature of combining Nazis and Coke ads.

Though Quake Zero--id Software's free online version of Quake III--was announced at QuakeCon 2007, the name was subsequently changed to Quake Live with no explanation.

id co-founder John Carmack today revealed that the change of the name was due to an enterprising domain name squatter.

"This was an idea we had mere weeks before QuakeCon," said Carmack, emphasizing the freewheeling nature of the Quake Zero announcement.

As it turned out, the speed of the game's unveiling came back to bite the company, when a quick anonymous individual purchased the Quake Zero internet domain names.

"They offered us a considered buyout option for it," added Carmack. "We just decided heck, we're only a few months into development of this, we'll just change the name."

QuakeCon 2008 officially ramps up this Thursday in Dallas, Texas. Shacknews will be representin' at the big show, with Nick and Steve checking out such titles as id Software's Rage, the browser-based shooter Quake Live, Raven Software's Wolfenstein and others.

In addition to the usual round-up of playable games, the exhibition will also host tournaments for Quake Live and both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Among the prizes are entries into a drawing for a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, valued at approximately $55,000.

Attendees should also check out the Shacknews-sponsored IDGA Quakecon charity poker tournament, benefiting Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity. Buy in is $30, and prizes include a choice between a Dell laptop and a Texas Instruments TV, an entry into the aforementioned Corvette drawing and more. Hurry over to the sign-up page, get registered and bring a smile to a child or two.

We hope to see you there as we play new games, rub elbows with developers and lose money in the name of charity.

Following the release of Doom 3, developer id Software shuffled to the background of the gaming industry for a time. Now the independent company is readying for a resurgence, on several fronts at once.

id is readying two traditional big-budget titles in Doom 4 and Rage, the latter marking the company's first original IP since the release of Quake. Founded late last year, id Mobile will be releasing its first project later this year with Wolfenstein RPG, the follow-up to the Doom RPG. Finally, the company is forging new ground in the web-based gaming sector with Quake Live, a free version of Quake III Arena without all the fuss--or the cost.

Recently I had a chance to talk with id Software co-founder John Carmack and executive producer Marty Stratton. While the theme of the talk was Quake Live, we also covered topics ranging from the state of PC gaming to the potential of iPhone development, painting a larger picture of this now multi-faceted studio. Read on for the full interview.

John Carmack: We can't go on making PC games like we used to.. But still, there are some things that the PC does fundamentally better than the console. And from a first person shooter perspective, the keyboard/mouse interface is just a lot better than a console interface.. It's just plain better, and that's one of the things we want to cater to. There are strengths that the PC has, and we think Quake Live is very much playing to them.... Read more

Those hoping to relive the glory days of Q3Test are in luck: id Software's web-based Quake 3 throwback Quake Live is now open for beta signups on the official website.

Quake Live will be a free multiplayer FPS accessed through a single web portal--quakelive.com--which will also offer free friends lists, sponsored events, tournaments, and matchmaking services.

Quake Live, formerly known as Quake Zero, has found an advertising sponsor. IGA Worldwide is now signed on to be the exclusive ad broker for id Software's upcoming web based Quake 3 rebirth.

"IGA understands game developers and game players which makes them the perfect partner for Quake Live," commented Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software.

Quake Live will be a free-to-play version of Quake 3, with the intent of being easy to pick up and play, much like other upcoming titles such as Battlefield Heroes from EA and the GarageGames TRIBES spiritual successor Fallen Empires: Legion.

The PR continues: "Created by id Software as an all-new way to deliver the excitement and energy of first-person multiplayer action to a broader audience than ever before, QUAKE LIVE offers game players of all skill levels a totally free and easily accessible multiplayer gaming experience and community through a single website at quakelive.com.

"Every element of the experience, including friends lists and communication, sponsored events and tournaments, matchmaking, stats tracking, and even the game itself is accessed and delivered free of charge through the web browser."

Among its multiple QuakeCon announcements this evening, id Software unveiled its plans to form a second development team whose first project will be an slightly updated version of Quake 3. Titled Quake Zero, the game will be available for free--supported by advertising dollars--and run in a web browser on both PC and Mac.

"We appreciate what you guys have done over the years in building the popularity of [Quake 3]," said id CEO Todd Hollenshead. "We also like 'free.'"

"We at id are building a second team," he continued. "Our first project is Quake Zero, which means zero cost, zero hassle. You'll be able to play Quake 3 in your web browser for free, supported only by advertising dollars." id will be working with Apple to ensure the game runs ideally on Macs as well as PC.

During John Carmack's keynote address, the id co-founder and programming lead noted his preference for "straightforward and elegant" games such as Quake 3 Arena. "Honestly, I sit down and look at Enemy Territory, and I'm a little overwhelmed," he admitted.

Check out all news from QuakeCon.