The two articles below were not written by me; they are copied from the site Joystiq...
Bethesda parent company buys id Software
Well, that was unexpected. id Software, the game studio behind Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, and the upcoming Rage, has just been acquired by ZeniMax, parent company of Fallout3 developer Bethesda Softworks.
Despite the acquisition, ZeniMax expects id Software to continue operating as before. "No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games," the press release states. "id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack ... All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games in the future." In other words, don't expect major folks at id to jump ship.
A large emphasis is being placed on how id will benefit from ZeniMax resources. "Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand," said Robert Altman, founder and CEO of ZeniMax Media. "Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games." Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, also agrees that the acquisition will result in better financial security for the team: "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."
While it appears id has much to gain from the merger, we're more intrigued by what Bethesda can gain. While Fallout 3 has earned heaps of critical praise, many will agree that graphics tech is far from Bethesda's strong suit. With Carmack and idTech now owned by ZeniMax, future Bethesda titles are sure to benefit. See John Carmack's statement after the break.
"This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward," said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director. "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."
Despite the acquisition, ZeniMax expects id Software to continue operating as before. "No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games," the press release states. "id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack ... All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games in the future." In other words, don't expect major folks at id to jump ship.
A large emphasis is being placed on how id will benefit from ZeniMax resources. "Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand," said Robert Altman, founder and CEO of ZeniMax Media. "Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games." Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, also agrees that the acquisition will result in better financial security for the team: "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."
While it appears id has much to gain from the merger, we're more intrigued by what Bethesda can gain. While Fallout 3 has earned heaps of critical praise, many will agree that graphics tech is far from Bethesda's strong suit. With Carmack and idTech now owned by ZeniMax, future Bethesda titles are sure to benefit. See John Carmack's statement after the break.
"This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward," said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director. "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."
What's your take on this Herculine? I tend to agree with whats said in the Joystiq article ... it's a win/win situation. Each has something to bring to the table and a need to be filled. If things get too buddy buddy you may need a new name for the blog ... BethaDoom Fanatic (nah, doesn't work).
ReplyDeleteBTW, thanks for the heads-up yesterday.
My take?
ReplyDeleteWell, if you follow some of the links there you'll get to see some trailers for the new joint-effort RAGE. To make a long story short, it reminds me of a cross between Doom 3 and Fallout New Vegas, which makes obvious sense I suppose. Since I like both franchises and tend to favor products from both of the companies that are now under the same management, I'd have to say in the end it's a good thing. I think Bethesda can benefit from the game formulas that the id guys have proven to be tried-and-true (after all, the original Doom games have been popular for like twenty years) and id can benefit from the cutting-edge technology that Zenimax seems to keep under its thumb (I've yet to see any actual gameplay video of SKYRIM, but I'd bet it will have the same OMG! effect that Oblivion had when it was new).
So, while I was a bit taken by surprise by the corporate development, when all is said and done I accept it and look forward to seeing what they do in the future.