id Software
More info
- Founded
- Founders
- John Carmack, John Romero, Adrian Carmack, Tom Hall
- Known for
- Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake
- Owner
- Microsoft (via ZeniMax)
Half a dozen programmers in Texas who invented both the first-person shooter and the business model for spreading it.
The group left the publisher Softdisk in 1991 after John Carmack solved a problem everyone had considered impossible: smooth side-scrolling on an ordinary PC, which until then only consoles managed. The demo became Commander Keen, and there followed Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, Doom in 1993 and Quake in 1996 — three games that each defined what home computers could display.
The company made money in two ways beyond the games. The shareware model gave away the first part and sold the rest by mail, and the engines were licensed to other studios, making id as much a technology supplier as a game maker. The source code to the old engines has been released in turn, and the company is now owned by Microsoft.