Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media has just acquired id Software, however they plan to let John Carmack and the guys run the show themselves.
Co-founder of id, John Romero, twittered his inner thoughts on the news of the deal and wasn’t too pleased. ”Fallout 3 bought DOOM. Wow,” he quipped, later saying he was ”harsh”.
The developer id will ”continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack. No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games,” assured ZeniMax Media over the deal.
”All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games at the studio.”
John Carmack has nothing but good things to say about the buyout. ”This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” he said, who continues on as Technical Director.
”We will be bigger and stronger, as we recruit the best talent to help us build the landmark games of the future. As trite as it may be for me to say that I am extremely pleased and excited about this deal, I am.” It’s the end of an era my fellow videogamers.
In defence of his initial reaction through Twitter, co-founder John Romero, who left id Software back in 1996, has since apologized and now come out in favour of the situation.
”… i am positive about the Zenimax deal. my initial reaction was harsh. sorry,” he twittered.
Later he added: ”i guess i was shocked and sad to see the id Software of old changed forever today. it’s a new day and a new id.” We’re all shocked Mr Romero.
Meanwhile, 3D Realms’ George Broussard gave his ‘two cents’ on the deal, saying it’s a great thing for id Software. ”There’s no better company that could have bought id,” commented Broussard.
”We’re all pretty lucky, as I expect Zenimax to largely leave id alone to do what they do as they do with Bethesda,” he added. ”Remember that Oblivion and Fallout 3 were made under this same arrangement.”
”If this were another publisher it might be cause for a wake, but in this case it’s nearly cause for celebration.” See the full ZeniMax/id Software press release below. Feeling a bit teary eyed?
ZeniMax Media Acquires id Software
Brings together two of world’s best game studios
Library of powerhouse franchises will include DOOM, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, QUAKE, Wolfenstein and RAGE
June 24, 2009 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, today announced it has completed the acquisition of legendary game studio, id Software, creators of world-renowned games such as DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein, and its upcoming title, RAGE. The acquisition by ZeniMax Media joins together two of the finest, most respected videogame developers in the world, combining the first person shooter (FPS) expertise of id Software with acclaimed role playing game (RPG) developer Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2008 Game of the Year, Fallout 3, and the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda Softworks will publish the titles of id Software other than upcoming releases previously committed to other publishers.
Founded in 1991, id Software established itself as an industry leader with some of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed video games of all time. id Software created the original first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D, and subsequently set new standards in the genre with the blockbuster releases of its DOOM and QUAKE titles. In addition, id Software developed cutting edge, proprietary technology with the id Tech engine which powers many notable FPS titles, and continues to make great advances in game technology under the direction of John Carmack, one of the country’s technology leaders and a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame.
Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, commented on the transaction: “This was a unique opportunity to team with a smart, sophisticated publisher like Bethesda Softworks where the interests of the studio and the publisher will be fully aligned in the development and marketing of our titles. In addition, we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans.”
id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack. No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games. All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games at the studio.
“This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director. “We will now be able to grow and extend all of our franchises under one roof, leveraging our capabilities across multiple teams while enabling forward looking research to be done in the service of all of them. We will be bigger and stronger, as we recruit the best talent to help us build the landmark games of the future. As trite as it may be for me to say that I am extremely pleased and excited about this deal, I am.”
