This past August, John Carmack, visionary behind id Software and Doom, among many other franchises, joined Oculus VR as their Chief Technology Officer, to work on their Rift headset. He originally spread his time between the two companies, as id Software prepares to release the next instalment in the Doom franchise.
However, with word that Doom 4 (or whatever it is to be called) is in development hell, Carmack is separating himself from the company he co-founded to work full-time at Oculus VR.
Carmack had hoped to “remain a technical adviser for Id, but it just didn’t work out”, he posted on Twitter yesterday afternoon.
It’s good that the split appears to be amicable, as id Software studio director Tim Willits told Gamasutra that any current projects will remain on their current course. He also released a statement:
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.
We’ll see how the future of gaming continues to shift with Carmack in yet another revolutionary position. Doom was the original first-person shooter, and it appears as Carmack might be able to make the Oculus Rift the original mass-market VR headset. Sorry, Nintendo, no one is counting the Virtual Boy.