id Software

id Software is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas, founded February 1, 1991 by John Carmack, John Romero, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack. They created the first-person shooter genre, developed some of the most influential game engines in history, and built Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein into cultural phenomena. ZeniMax Media acquired them in 2009, and Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in 2021.

id Software Origin Story

Softdisk to id Software

The four founders met at Softdisk, a software subscription company. Carmack, Romero, and others created Commander Keen in 1990 while still Softdisk employees. After its success they left to found id Software in February 1991. Wolfenstein 3D released in 1992 and is considered the grandfather of the first-person shooter. Doom followed in December 1993 and became a cultural phenomenon, ported to virtually every platform that existed.

id Software Key Games

Quake (1996)

The first game with a fully 3D engine. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails provided the sound design and ambient music. Its release spawned QuakeCon, North America’s longest-running LAN party. id Software received an Emmy Award in 2008 for Quake’s pioneering contribution to user-modifiable games.

Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020)

The 2016 Doom reboot was a genuine comeback. Fast, brutal, mechanically sharp. It revitalized the franchise. Eternal pushed the formula further with more complex arena design and deeper mechanics.

Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)

The most recent entry, a prequel to the 2016 reboot. id Software celebrated their 35th anniversary in February 2026. The Dark Ages received strong reviews continuing the momentum of the modern Doom era.

The Technology Legacy

id’s engines powered dozens of other important games through licensing. Half-Life, Medal of Honor, and Call of Duty all trace technical lineage back to id’s work. John Carmack open-sourced multiple engine generations after they aged. He left id in 2013 to work on VR and later AGI research. The studio remains one of the most reliable names in shooter development.