ZeniMax, Parent Company of Bethesda, Buys id Software

CelticLo writes "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. In an interview with Kotaku, John Carmack said, 'We're really getting kind of tired competing with our own publishers in terms of how our titles will be featured. And we've really gotten more IPs than we've been able to take advantage of. And working with other companies hasn't been working out as spectacularly as it could. So the idea of actually becoming a publisher and merging Bethesda and ZeniMax on there [is ideal.] It would be hard to imagine a more complementary relationship. They are triple A, top-of-the-line in what they do in the RPGs. And they have no overlap with all the things we do in the FPSes.' The press release confirmed that id's projects will remain under Carmack's control."

Comments

Linux native games

[zebslash]

I hope they will carry on using OpenGL and providing Linux native binaries.

Could this...

[Darkness404]

Could this mean that ID is now going to become less OSS/Linux friendly?

Re:Competition.

[Heed00]

Looks like they might have a bonafide Atari stomping machine.

That job is already filled by Atari themsleves.

No Overlap?

[Hatta]

They are triple A, top-of-the-line in what they do in the RPGs. And they have no overlap with all the things we do in the FPSes.'

What about Fallout 3?

Valve and iD, twin snakes

[SixGame]

Their situation was very similar to Valve's before Steam became a viable platform. (ie: struggles with EA/Sierra) But the two roads diverged: We see that Valve's initially puzzling move of developing their own distribution channels has lead to a period of unbridled growth and creativity. iD's decision to innovate only on their core competencies (graphics,graphics,graphics) has lead to the events of today.

Re:Valve and iD, twin snakes

[dunezone]

Wasn't the core income of iD software from developing game engines and licensing them to other companies?

I might be wrong but the last major engine they built and sold was the one for Doom 3, and I don't remember many games that used that engine after that except Quake 4? And that title was repackaged garbage.

Valve on the other hand...well they haven't made a many mistakes, they built a complete distribution system that is the best around by far, they release amazing development tools for their games, and they still release new content for older games like Team Fortress 2 and that was released back in October of 2007, might I add they just released the source files for their official TF2 maps allowing anyone to view how they made them.

iD software has gone stale, they stuck with what worked for them, being the leading developer of game engines and graphics, and that worked when they were the only competitor back in 1993(Doom), 1996(Quake), 1997(Quake 2), and 1999(Quake 3), no game engines could compete with those. The biggest competitor between 1997 and 1999 was the Lithtech engine or the original Unreal, and post 1999, Lithtech didn't power much, and the Unreal was just beginning to shape up to what it has turned into today.

Now in 2009 we have the Unreal Engines which are cross platform compatible and easy to develop for, the Source Engine which anyone can mod with the help of the Valve SDK's, multiple open-source engines, and enough tools, online knowledge, and resources for a company to develop their own engine if they want to go down that path. The Doom 3 Engine is not as appealing, iD was the leader because there was no one else to go to for a quick pre-built game engine, today that isnt true.

I don't think iD software is in financial trouble but they definitely don't have the income like they used to have.

Re:Sooo...

[tnk1]

Actually, if you compare Doom and Quake to Oblivion and Fallout3, you basically have two companies that have really made their names on two franchises. You might think that id is in a better position because they made the Classics, but "classic" is also just another word for "old", or in this case, "not generating revenue any more".

Honestly, Bethesda may not be the industry pioneer that id was, but they're certainly just as successful, or perhaps, even more successful than id in the present time. That's all that matters for a business decision.

Re:Chris Weaver

[Anonymous Coward]

I bet this comes back to bite Carmack in the ass down the road.

As one of id's owners, Carmack has just become a very rich man at a point in time where id's flagship titles are fading from the limelight. Doom 3 is largely considered a disappointment.

He's been tinkering on rocketry and iPhone development rather than pushing the state of the art (megatexture?)

Despite the press release stating that all the key players have signed long term contracts, I suspect Carmack is angling to retire from the games biz in the next few years.

Posting anonymously because I am still a big fan but see the writing on the wall.

Re:Perfect Marriage

[Anonymous Coward]

In short: If it moves, it dies. That was it.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that kind of game. Some of the best games have been exactly this. Doom, Duke Nukem, Quake, Unreal, Halo, Serious Sam, Far Cry, etc. were all "shoot anything that moves" games that only had the most superficial of stories. They are proof that games don't need strong storylines and can rely purely on gameplay.

Re:Id IP and Quake Live

[sanosuke001]

The company is still going to be run by John Carmack. It looks like it's more of a business decision to make publishing/marketing easier and to get a hold of new tech than to merge IPs.

Re:Chris Weaver

[verbalcontract]

First, let me just say that I love John Carmack.

The reason I love him is because in the TFA he explains why they did this:

"We're really getting kind of tired competing with our own publishers in terms of how our titles will be featured... They are triple A, top-of-the-line in what they do in the RPGs. And they have no overlap with all the things we do in the FPSes."

They didn't sell because of Zenimax's leadership. They sold so they don't have to worry about the publishing end of the business. Zenimax now distributes id and Bethesda games, and since they don't compete in the market, id doesn't have to worry about Zenimax giving them the shaft. Meanwhile, id stays independent and keeps doing what its doing.

Sound familiar?

TES 5 on id Tech 5

[DeathCarrot]

They're Raging on about how Tech 5 megatextures can render vast landscapes without compromising performance. I think an Elder Scrolls game would be a perfect showcase for this in action. *fingers crossed*

Re:Id IP and Quake Live

[MindKata]

"The company is still going to be run by John Carmack"

Everyone company that gets sold to another company says things like this. My question is, "The company is still going to be run by John Carmack" ... yes, but for how long? ... I've lost count of the number of companies who say this sort of thing and then a year or two later their founders leave saying they are going to pursue new business avenues and new opportunities etc..

Which leaves ID high speed easy to control style of games and ID's attitude to open software exactly where? ... Somehow I don't see their new owners being so open with source code and as for game designs, its easy to make yet another FPS but its hard for the bosses of games companies to see what makes a good FPS more like a sport than a game. The way Quake 3 and 4 games play online are effectively more like sporting games than just FPS games. How many other companies have failed to create such successful online FPS games ... far more fail than succeed. So any company change which risks new management forcing their ideas into games is a bad thing.

Re:Perfect Marriage

[Hatta]

I love reading a good book. But all the books I'd describe as "good" are non-fiction. But that's beside the point. Looking to games for "literary content" is like looking to Saturday morning cartoons for great visual art.

Personally, I love RPG and adventure games. Both genres with strong stories. There's nothing wrong with putting a story in a game, but the game mechanics are the point of playing, not the story. You can have a great game without any story at all. You can't have a great game without great game play.