Quake gets a new trademark filing, but don't get your hopes up for a reboot

A new Quake trademark filing has been spotted out in the wild, with ZeniMax Media retying down the iconic five-letter word mark for another decade or so. Doom has recently been en vogue, but, let's be real here, has it ever not been? Nonetheless, thanks to id Software's rebooted series, the Slayer's escapades have jetted to new heights. This latest documentation could very well indicate that id's pioneering 3D shooter could be in line for similar treatment, but for now I'm not convinced.

On March 3, 2026, ZeniMax popped in a fresh application to trademark Quake. Seeing as word mark trademarks need to be renewed every ten years, this is standard legal procedure. Quake Champions, the FPS game series' last entry, entered early access in 2017, so the filing's pretty much right on time.

Yes, the word mark which has been trademarked looks nothing like the classic Quake logo. However, while this may seem indicative of a branding refresh, pending some big reveal, I'm going to dash your hopes. The standard character mark you see here is just that: a generic font style that is used universally purely to register words, letters, or numbers. Now, if it were a design mark with a fresh lick of paint, I'd be inclined to get more excited.

So, sorry, but it's looking like a whole lotta nothin' right now. Only last month, Doom The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin came out and said its upcoming DLC is "freaking huge," so it's clear where id's priorities lie for the time being. Of course, the studio could be fiddling away at Quake in the background, but if I were a betting man (outside the odd Super Six), I'd say "don't get your hopes up."

Quake Champions only launched in full back in 2022, providing arena shooter connoisseurs with a solid, standalone multiplayer fix. I wouldn't be surprised if id sticks with the format as a way of maintaining clear differentiation between the two series in the modern era (The Dark Ages is entirely single-player), seeing as there are strong aesthetic and thematic propinquities between the two. I'd love to see a modernized iteration of the Strogg, but as well-overdue a new single-player Quake is - it's been over 20 years since Quake 4! - I just can't see it happening anytime soon.