Editing Quake II (section)

===Design===
[[File:Quake2b.jpg|right|thumb|Unlike its predecessor, ''Quake II''{{'}}s engine allows colored lighting effects and [[Skybox (video games)|skyboxes]].]]

Originally, ''Quake II'' was supposed to be a new game and [[intellectual property]]; titles like "Strogg", "Lock and Load", and just "Load" were toyed with in the early days of development. But after numerous failed attempts, the team at id decided to stick with ''Quake II'' and forgo the Gothic [[Lovecraftian horror]] theme from the original in favor of a more sci-fi aesthetic.<ref name="Retro Gamer 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Retro Gamer |title=20 Years of Quake |journal=[[Retro Gamer]] |date=2016 |issue=154 |pages=18, 27}}</ref>

{{blockquote|It was a conscious decision [to change ''Quake II''{{'}}s direction] and controversial inside the company. We weren't happy with the [original] ''Quake'' story. [John] Romero was gone, so there was no one left to defend it. Kevin Cloud headed up ''Quake II'' and he wanted to make it story-driven.|Todd Hollenshead
<ref name="Retro Gamer 2016" />}}

The game was developed with a 13-person team.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85882834/ |title=Wizards of Id |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |page=193 |date=December 13, 1997 |accessdate=August 17, 2021 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Activision obtained the worldwide distribution rights to the game in May 1997.<ref>{{cite web |first=Helen |last=Lee |url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_05/30_acti/index.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980119053214/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_05/30_acti/index.html |title=Activision Gets Quake II |website=[[GameSpot]] |archivedate=January 19, 1998 |date=May 30, 1997 |accessdate=July 25, 2022}}</ref> Artist and co-owner Adrian Carmack had said that ''Quake II'' is his favorite game in the series because "it was different and a cohesive project".<ref name="Retro Gamer 2016" /> This is the last id Software game to feature [[American McGee]] as he was fired shortly after its release.<ref>{{cite web |first=Micheal |last=Mullen |url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_03/13_mcgee/index.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001013091835/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_03/13_mcgee/index.html |title=Id Designer Let Go |website=[[GameSpot]] |archivedate=October 13, 2000 |date=March 13, 1998 |accessdate=October 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/14192/John-Carmack-Archive-plan-1998 |title=John Carmack Archive - .plan 1998 |work=scribd.com}}</ref>