Cancelled Quake 4 expansion gets surprise GitHub release after former XCOM 2 developer discovers it on an old hard drive: ‘This essentially saved my life’
Quake 4’s long-lost expansion has resurfaced after nearly two decades of obscurity. Titled “Awakening,” the project was developed by Ritual Entertainment and cancelled by publisher Activision following underwhelming sales of the base game. The expansion has remained inaccessible to players and preservationists alike—until a recent discovery changed that trajectory.
A veteran game developer who previously worked on XCOM 2 found a complete build of the cancelled expansion on the hard drive of a second-hand PC. The discovery prompted them to upload the project to GitHub, making it available to the broader gaming community. The release arrives during Quake’s 30th anniversary celebrations at QuakeCon, providing longtime fans with content they believed lost forever.
For the developer who uncovered it, the discovery held profound personal meaning. “This essentially saved my life,” they stated, hinting at circumstances beyond mere nostalgia. The find underscores the importance of game preservation efforts, particularly for cancelled or abandoned projects that might otherwise vanish from gaming history entirely. The timing coincides with other Quake milestone celebrations, including a newly released official episode for the original game, making this a significant period for the franchise’s legacy.