id Software info by Gregory Whorley
*I decided to make this more of an info sheet than a FAQ since the history I
received is in regular essay form*
Special thanks go out to Randi Carr who spent the time and effort to make
this possible.
Any questions or comments? Send me a message at
[email protected]
and I'll reply ASAP.
Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Wolfenstein 3-d and Commander Keen are trademarks
of id software, Jaguar is a trademark of Atari, and 32x is a trademark of
Sega. So don't copy the name for your benefit or a bunch of lawyers will
break down your door and take you to court. Don't say I didn't warn you!
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What id is
----------------------
id software, is by general acknowledgement, the coolest game shop in
the world. Named for the instinctional part of the human psyche first
identified by Freud, id's small software development team continues to make
gaming history.
Just off the freeway exit to downtown Mesquite, TX, you'll find id
Software. In their black glass building, with Testarossas parked out front
and computer toys spilling into the hallways, the ten wizards that are id
have created one sensational action game after another and have
single-handedly raised the standard of excellence in gaming technology. In
fact, the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame recognized Wolfenstein 3-D as
helping to shape the overall direction of the computer gaming industry.
Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, and its sequel Doom II, have created a frenzied
demand worldwide and are regarded as the most succesful computer games in
history. id's products have managed to consistently break shareware and
retail sales records at home and abroad.
id has become the torch bearer of what's hot in the game industry -
immersive, frenetic, instantly-gratifying games that push user involvement
to a whole new level. id writes games that are cool, games they want to
play. And, because of id's phenomenal success, their games have been ported
to virtually every gaming and computer platform.
id has proven itself to be genius at more than just software
development. Using a non-traditional means of product distribution -
shareware channels, on-line services, and the Internet - id has helped to
create a new way to market computer games. The "try before you buy" strategy
id uses to freely release a portion of a game to the public through on-line
services and the Internet. Then, if the customer likes the game, the full
version can be ordered directly from id. To complement their electronic
sales, id works with a leading retail distributor to make its games
available on store shelves.
The next year will take id well beyond Doom II, to new games, gaming
platforms and new markets. Over the next year, id will focus on improving
the multiplayer capabilities of its games, pushing communication
technologies to their limits. Because nothing is more realistic than
interacting with another player, id believes that improved multiplayer
technology will be the next true revolution in three-dimentional interactive
games.
What id was
----------------------
id was started in September of 1990 when John Carmack, John Romero,
Tom Hall and Adrian Carmack, created the first game in the Commander Keen
series, Invasion of the Vorticons. The first episode of the game was
released into the shareware market by Apogee Software on December 14, 1990.
One month after Commander Keen was released into shareware, John
Carmack, John Romero, and Adrian Carmack left their jobs at Softdisk
Publishing in Shreveport, Louisiana and officially began id Software on
February 1, 1991. Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons and its sequel,
Commander Keen: Goodbye, Galaxy! (released into shareware on December 15,
1991) helped to establish id as the leading PC game developer in the
shareware community.
On May 5, 1992, id's first shareware monster hit, Wolfenstein 3-D
was released by Apogee. Wolfenstein 3-D brought worldwide notoriety, and the
game's 3-D environment dramatically raised the standards expected for
shareware games. Over 250,000 copies of Wolfenstein have been sold via
retail and direct sales and millions have played the shareware version.
On December 10, 1993, id released its much-anticipated Doom, the
first shareware game to be distributed under the id label. Doom has attained
phenomenal success, and is now recognized as the hottest 3-D action game on
the PC. Millions of shareware copies have been downloaded around the world,
passed from player to player by floppy disk or online networks. More than
150,000 people have registered for the full product via id's 1-800 order
line. And, id has since released Doom on Atari's Jaguar and Sega's 32x.
Doom II: Hell on Earth, the sequel to Doom, was released on October
10, 1994, "DOOMSDAY" on both floppy disk and CD-ROM. Distributed at retail
by GT Interactive Software in the US and Virgin Games in Great Britain, Doom
II's initial release was over half-million copies. Doom II has set new sales
records, having sold over 750,000 copies with no end in sight.
On December 23, 1994, id released Heretic, a supernatural combat
action game that uses the Doom engine. Heretic was developed by the graphic
masters at Raven Software, creators of Shadowcaster and Black Crypt. Heretic
is available as shareware on the Internet and other on-line services, with
the full version available from id. GT Interactive Software has offered
Heretic shareware at retail since February 1995, and will release the full
version at retail later this year.
id will focus on increasing the multiplayer capabilities of its
games, with an ambitious new game called Quake. Quake, the most highly
anticipated game since Doom II, will represent the next quantum leap in game
technology, and promises to set a new standard in multiplayer,
three-dimensional, combat action games.
A development deal with Ivan Reitman and Universal Pictures to
create a movie based on Doom is in the works. id is also negotiating through
International Creative Management (ICM) to create location-based
entertainment centers (LBEs), also referred to virtual reality play centers,
based on the Doom game.
Other projects on the slate include: a deal with PocketBooks to
create a book series based on Doom and negotiations to bring Doom into
households via interactive TV.
id is
----------------------
Jay Wilbur Owner and biz guy
John Carmack Co-founder, owner, lead programmer
John Romero Co-founder, owner, programmer and game
designer
Adrian Carmack Co-Founder, owner and computer artist
Kevin Cloud Owner and computer artist
Michael Abrash Lead programmer
Dave Taylor Programmer
Sandy Peterson Game Designer
American McGee Level Designer
Shawn Green Quality control and tech support
Donna Jackson Office assistant
