{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d617e9acd0a81d8c9bbfd2a9","clusterId":"c_ec906fe2e4182d9a801015ff","slug":"quake-champions-drops-free-to-play-for-buy-to-play-at-1-210-yen","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Quake Champions Drops Free-to-Play for Buy-to-Play at 1,210 Yen","summary":"Bethesda Softworks announced that Quake Champions, the arena FPS developed by id Software with Saber Interactive, has moved from free-to-play to buy-to-play. The game launched its free-to-play model in 2018. The Version 1.31 update carries the change. All Champions are now unlocked for all users, players can work through 30 seasons of content, and most cosmetic items can be equipped. Battle passes, microtransactions, the store, the Platinum and Shards currencies, loot boxes, daily login rewards, weekly and event challenges, and the Champion progression shard reward route have all ended. No further content updates are currently planned. The game is sold on Steam for 1,210 yen. Players from the free-to-play period keep access at no extra cost, and the Microsoft Store version has ended distribution, with those players getting Steam access by linking their Bethesda.net account to a Steam account.","whyItMatters":"A live-service shooter that spent eight years monetizing through battle passes, loot boxes, and two currencies is closing all of those channels at once and switching off new content, which makes the paid download the last revenue source left.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eRefunds are part of the transition. Players who bought Platinum Packs in the 60 days before September 23, 2026, when the switch took effect, qualify for refunds. For players who paid in Japanese yen, the window stretches to six months before that date, based on local law.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuake Champions was shown in a trailer in 2016 and mixes the setting of the original Quake with the competitive structure of Quake III Arena, with each Champion carrying its own traits and abilities. The 1.31 update is the mechanism that unlocks the roster and opens the cosmetic catalog. The Microsoft Store version is the one that stops distribution; the Steam version continues at 1,210 yen.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe end of the content pipeline and the removal of the currency system mean the title is being frozen at its current state rather than developed further.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Quake Champions now sells for 1,210 yen, but every current owner keeps access free through the Bethesda.net to Steam link. That split turns the store page into two prices for the same build.","twitterPost":"Quake Champions ends its store, currencies, and battle passes but keeps 30 seasons playable. The live-service shell is gone; the archive stays.","threadsPost":"Quake Champions drops free-to-play for a 1,210 yen Steam listing and ends its store, currencies, loot boxes, and battle passes. Version 1.31 unlocks all Champions and 30 seasons of content, which makes the game a fixed archive rather than a service.","newsletterBlurb":"Bethesda has moved Quake Champions from free-to-play to buy-to-play with the Version 1.31 update. Every monetization channel is gone: battle passes, loot boxes, the store, and the Platinum and Shards currencies. The game costs 1,210 yen on Steam, no further content updates are planned, and recent Platinum Pack buyers can claim refunds.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/24/172707.html\",\"title\":\"Arena FPS 'Quake Champions' Transitions from 'Free-to-Play' to 'Buy-to-Play' - Battle Pass and Monetization Elements Abolished\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/25/28135.html\",\"title\":\"Arena FPS 'Quake Champions' Transitions from Free-to-Play to Buy-to-Play - Battle Pass and Monetization Elements Abolished\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":7181,"outputTokens":973,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791068664,"createdAt":"2026-10-03T22:59:04.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_ec906fe2e4182d9a801015ff","canonicalTitle":"アリーナFPS『Quake Champions』が「基本プレイ無料」から「買い切り型」に移行―バトルパスや課金要素を廃止","representativeArticleId":"a_4ef1355967ae643edfce3b00","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Quake Champions\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-24T08:45:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-24T21:45:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/25/28135.html","title":"アリーナFPS『Quake Champions』が「基本プレイ無料」から「買い切り型」に移行―バトルパスや課金要素を廃止"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/24/172707.html","title":"アリーナFPS『Quake Champions』が「基本プレイ無料」から「買い切り型」に移行―バトルパスや課金要素を廃止"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Quake Champions"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Bethesda Softworks announced Quake Champions has transitioned from free-to-play to buy-to-play.","Quake Champions was free-to-play starting in 2018 and now sells on Steam for 1,210 yen.","The Version 1.31 update unlocks all Champions for all users and opens 30 seasons of content.","Battle passes, microtransactions, the store, Platinum and Shards currencies, loot boxes, daily login, and weekly and event challenges have been abolished.","Players who bought Platinum Packs in the 60 days before September 23, 2026 qualify for refunds, with a six-month window for players who paid in Japanese yen."]}