Bethesda and id Software have released their arena shooter into Steam’s Early Access.

This launch follows a closed beta. The title is set for launch later this year, with a free-to-play SKU being released also.

Quake Champions launches with four modes, 11 characters and 'a variety of maps'. 

“With a fast, skill-based game like Quake Champions, nothing is more important than continual testing and refining, based on player feedback, to ensure the game is balanced, optimized, and fun for all levels of players, from pro to new,” said studio director Tim Willits. 

“The Early Access version of Quake Champions is, obviously, a work-in-progress, but represents a solid and robust version of the game, with four modes, 11 Champions, a variety of maps, and a thriving community of fans. Early Access will allow us to work closely with players to improve the game and add additional features before the official launch of Quake Champions in the coming months.”

The PC-exclusive Quake Champions was announced at E3 2016 last year at Bethesda’s press event and mixes the classic Quake arena shooter gameplay with the hero and character-ability focused sensibilities of the MOBA genre, as seen in the likes of Overwatch and Lawbreakers.

Following that that latter title, which features similar gameplay, appears to have underperformed commercially, it’ll be interesting to see whether Quake can find success or whether Blizzard’s Overwatch and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds have dominated the shooter market for the time being.