Totally did not see this coming. ZeniMax, owner of Oblivion developer Bethesda Softworks, has picked up id Software. I’m used to id being independent and publishing via Activision, so this change will take time to sink in. At least for me.

Incoming Carmack quote:

“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.”

It’s the usual stuff from a press release about an acquisition, but it’s weird hearing it from the mouth of the straight-shooting Carmack. I think it’s unlikely ZeniMax will sit on id Tech 5, with titles like Oblivion and Fallout under its belt, gagging for new tech. I’m sure Bethesda’s brand of Gamebryo is nice, but it has its roots in NDL, the same engine that powered Morrowind many moons ago.

In the back of my mind I can’t help but think that id has suffered under the pressure of the financial crisis. But that’s just speculation on my part. Would make a great interview question – if you could wrangle an honest answer.

ZeniMax Media Acquires id Software [ZeniMax]

~ by Logan on June 24, 2009.

Posted in Industry news

Tags: bethesda, fallout, id, id tech 5, john carmack, oblivion, zenimax