id Software is saying farewell to one of its founding fathers today, as lead programmer and co-creator of games such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Quake is resigning from the company.
John Carmack recently joined Oculus VR, makers of the highly anticipated VR headset the Oculus Rift, as CTO back in August. Carmack remained in employment with both companies until today, whereupon he has resigned to focus more on his position at Oculus. id Software’s last effort was the id Tech 5 engine, and its ambitious first person game RAGE, which was released in 2011.
id Software provided a statement concerning the departure:
“John’s work on id Tech 5 and the technology for the current development work at id is complete, and his departure will not affect any current projects. We are fortunate to have a brilliant group of programmers at id who worked with John and will carry on id’s tradition of making great games with cutting-edge technology. As colleagues of John for many years, we wish him well.”
John Carmack founded id Software in 1991 along with John Romero, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack (no relation). The studio pioneered the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, and by the mid nineties, Quake. All three games have gone on to become massive franchises, with a new Wolfenstein game on the way.
John himself tweeted on the subject, citing the shared burden from high technical positions at two different firms as a reason for his departure:
I wanted to remain a technical adviser for Id, but it just didn’t work out. Probably for the best, as the divided focus was challenging.
— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) November 22, 2013
John Carmack will continue in his new position at Oculus full-time. Oculus VR are hoping to launch the Oculus Rift sometime in 2014. id Software are currently developing Doom 4, although not much more information exists than that. What do you think? Will Carmack elevate the Oculus Rift? Let us know what you think in the comments below.