ZeniMax Media buys id Software, legendary maker of Doom

I know, I know, not my usual stuff, but interesting...

[link to games.venturebeat.com]
Zenimax Media said today it is buying id Software, the legendary developer of the Doom and Wolfenstein video games. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed.

The deal is a huge development in the game industry, where Mesquite, Texas-based id was the crown jewel among independent game studios.

The company has been around since 1991. With the release of Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 and Doom in 1993, it pioneered first-person shooter games, where you shoot at enemies in three dimensions as they come rushing toward you. First-person shooters are now a multibillion dollar business, spanning everything from Modern Warfare 2 to id’s upcoming Doom 4.

As such, id’s influence on the direction of video games — particularly violent ones — has been huge. In many ways, id’s independence was improbable, since the game industry has become a financial juggernaut full of publishers with thousands of employees. It was amazing that id lasted so long as a stand-alone company, and it thus offered hope to game creators that they could still rule in a finance-driven business.

more at above link

Last Edited by SPUD on 11/17/2011 06:11 PM