In a surprise move today, ZeniMax Media, which owns Oblivion and Fallout developer Bethesda Softworks, has announced an acquisition of id Software, known for first-person shooters like Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein and the upcoming Rage. Under the newly merged company, Bethesda will publish id's titles with the exception of upcoming games that were already signed by other publishers. Exact terms of the buyout were not disclosed.
id Software has always been a strong independent force in the gaming industry, and IndustryGamers is sure that having continued autonomy was a large part of the agreement. Indeed, the two parties noted that id will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of founder (and programming genius), John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director.
“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,” the companies stressed.
“This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” said Carmack. “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."
Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, added: “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.”
Robert Altman, the founder, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax Media, also made sure to note that Bethesda will not interfere with what's made id so successful all these years. “We, along with many others, consider id Software to be among the finest game studios in the world, with extraordinary design, artistic and technical capabilities. They have demonstrated, repeatedly, that rare ability to create franchise properties that are critical and commercial successes. Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games. Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand,” he commented.
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