Way back around 2010 and 2011, we had this huge glut of competent but entirely-forgettable shooters. Among them was Id Software’s RAGE, a game that paired Mad Max-like sensibilities with Id’s legendary game design. The end product was a solid enough game that never caught on. Now, eight years later, Bethesda is bringing RAGE back.
The trailer doesn’t tell us a lot. It tells us, certainly, that RAGE is back, and that it’s still aesthetically the same kind of game. Where Bethesda’s Prey reboot had almost nothing in common with the original Prey – another very competent but forgettable shooter – this game seems to be set in the same universe, whether it’s a sequel or not. It also seems like the driving and car combat is returning.
After Walmart Canada accidentally leaked a whole load of upcoming games last week, the RAGE twitter account offered some cheeky corrections to the retailer’s product page, to which game developer Rebellion offered its applause, suggesting the studio may be handling the game:
Aside from that, we can only guess until tomorrow’s reveal.
I’m going to offer some speculation that should be taken as nothing more than such: I think RAGE 2 is going to be a car combat game in the “battle royale” genre currently fought over by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. Bethesda has taken to resurrecting old licenses – Wolfenstein, Doom, Prey, Quake – and has a pretty good record with it at 3 out of 4 being successful. This will make the fifth they’ve resurrected, but it remains to be seen whether it’ll join the successful group. Bethesda tried to force Quake onto the “hero shooter” bandwagon with Quake Champions, hoping it would join the likes of Overwatch, and had previously tried its hand at the genre with the since-canned original title Battlecry. RAGE might not be a huge name, but it’s a name associated with Id and it has a pretty good amount of cachet with gamers, and “battle royale” games are – I’m going to say it – all the rage right now. I could be way off the mark here, but I think there’s a real possibility.
For posterity, here’s a look at the original RAGE trailer from back before time:
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