In the Texan city of Grapevine, a truly dominant force in the world of Quake, the American player known as "rapha", has once again secured the title of champion at QuakeCon, marking his seventh victory in this prestigious competition.

The initial matches of the tournament's first two days exhibited some rough edges. During the first day, group stage games were played, leading to the unexpected elimination of strong contenders, such as the American player dramiS and the Estonian competitor cnz, from the Quake Pro League (QPL). The tension among the participants was palpable; many struggled with precise railgun shots and, notably, the challenging lightning gun.

On the third day of the event, a pivotal moment arrived in the Winner Bracket's third round. In this match, the Italian contender vengeurR, usually consistent in his performance, faced an unsettling challenge against the Hungarian player RAISY. However, vengeurR managed to redeem himself, engaging in a gripping duel during the Lower Bracket final against the same formidable opponent, RAISY, with a final score of 2-3 in a best-of-five map series.

Among the surprising outcomes of the tournament, the most notable was the underwhelming performance of the German player k1llsen, the reigning champion of last year's QWC 2022. His match against the Australian player ZenAku in the fourth round of the Lower Bracket was a far cry from his usual prowess. His characteristic composure and impeccable robotic aiming seemed to have deserted him, suggesting that something was amiss.

RAISY's journey to the Grand Final through the Lower Bracket, setting up a showdown with rapha, raised eyebrows once more. The question arose: how is it possible for a player to maintain such a high level of performance, playing two best-of-five (BO5) and one best-of-seven (BO7) matches within a single day? The anticipation for RAISY to eventually claim a major trophy or championship belt continues, sparking contemplation about the existence of justice in this competitive world.

rapha's early performances revealed some minor imperfections; even his usually impeccable rocket jumps showed occasional missteps. Nonetheless, he comfortably triumphed over both the Australian player dandaking and the Brazilian player nosfa. As the tournament progressed, on the third day, rapha's mastery was on full display once again. In the Winner Bracket's third round, he decisively defeated the German player.

One of the highlights of the event was rapha's commanding performance on the Sorlag champion, showcased in the map "Corrupted Keep", and his skillful execution on the Scalebearer champion in "The Molten Falls", during the Winner Bracket final against RAISY. The initial map of the Grand Final, "Vale of Pnath", was claimed by RAISY, who earned his spot through the Lower Bracket final. On the "Corrupted Keep" map, rapha demonstrated that Anarki was not a vulnerability to him. On "Ruins of Sarnath", RAISY's use of Scalebearer appeared somewhat unrefined. However, on the map "Awoken", the American player impressively outplayed the Hungarian contender, catching him with the lightning gun in a pivotal moment.

In terms of rewards, rapha secured a substantial prize of $25,000 for his victory, while RAISY received a well-earned $15,000 for his impressive performance. The Italian player vengeurR secured a respectable $12.5K, and the Australian competitor ZenAku, securing the fourth place, walked away with $10,000. ZenAku's commitment and dedication as a fan were truly commendable, exemplified by his decision to get tattoos featuring the iconic characters Athena and Strogg. 

Furthermore, ZenAku's impactful modification on the "Blood Covenant" map, adding a thrilling 6-minute overtime, left a memorable mark on the tournament's history.

AMD has pleasantly surprised avid Starfield gamers with a selection of themed hardware. At the QUAKECON 2023 event, the company introduced two exciting products: the Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card, both inspired by the forthcoming role-playing game.

While AMD plans to produce a limited run of 500 units for each product, they won't be available for direct purchase. Instead, these processors and graphics cards will be distributed among the community through giveaways. The packaging for both items features vibrant designs. The real showstopper, however, is the graphics card, which boasts a unique Starfield-themed design reminiscent of a futuristic spacecraft. The exclusive Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an elegant white casing with striking red and blue accents. It also features a white metal plate with engravings on the back, and the front of the casing is adorned with attractive illumination.

Notably, AMD has played a crucial role as a technical partner with Bethesda during the development of Starfield. As an added bonus, buyers of AMD processors and graphics cards will receive a complimentary digital copy of the highly anticipated RPG. Starfield is set to launch on September 6th, available for both PC and Xbox Series players.

As part of the QuakeCon 2023 event, Bethesda and id Software surprised gamers by announcing and immediately releasing a revamped edition of Quake II, complete with impressive visual upgrades.

The remastered package comes bundled with the "Call of the Machine" expansion, Quake II 64, and the engaging mission packs "The Reckoning" and "Ground Zero". The update boasts features like crossplay functionality, stunning 4K support, and intuitive gyroscopic controls.

Gamers can now enjoy the remastered version on a variety of platforms, including PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Series S/X, and even the Nintendo Switch, all for a reasonable price of $10. Additionally, this exciting release is available for subscribers of the Game Pass, adding more value to the gaming experience.

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For those watching QuakeCon at home, check out our livestream schedule of content happening live from the BYOC.

Professional experts have informed the media that an announcement for the remastered version of Quake II is expected at the upcoming QuakeCon 2023 festival in mid-August. According to these insiders, Bethesda is likely to unveil the game on either August 10 or 11.

The Quake II remaster is anticipated to be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. As Bethesda Softworks is the publisher, there are expectations that the title will be included in the Game Pass subscription from the day of its release.

It is believed that the developers will showcase the Quake II remaster during the initial days of the event, although the actual release date for the enhanced version remains unknown. Bethesda has not made any official announcements regarding this title yet.

On August 19, 2021, Bethesda Softworks released a remastered version of the original Quake, which came 25 years after its initial launch by id Software. The updated game supports 4K resolution and runs up to 60 frames per second on PC and various gaming consoles such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox One, and Series X. The Quake remaster includes not only the original maps and expansions like Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity but also new DLCs like Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine, developed by the creators of Wolfenstein at MachineGames.

We've updated our event info page with the full food truck schedule: https://beth.games/43NgcbS