Developer · USA
id Software
Carmack and Romero left Softdisk to build Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake; ZeniMax bought it in 2009.
Corporate lineage
- Founded by people who left Softdisk
- Part of ZeniMax Media since 2009
Studios founded by former staff
Mechanics first shipped by id Software
Ideas this studio is credited with introducing to the medium, each with a full downstream history.
Space & Locomotion · 1992
Raycast Corridor 3D
Raycast corridor 3D draws a first-person view by casting one ray per screen column into a flat grid of walls, producin…
Origin: Wolfenstein 3D
Interface & Meta · 1993
In-Game Automap
An in-game automap draws the level as the player walks it, converting movement into a persistent overhead diagram of r…
Origin: Doom
Multiplayer & Social · 1993
Networked Deathmatch
Networked deathmatch connects several machines over a local network so players fight each other inside the same simula…
Origin: Doom
Creation & Modding · 1993
Open Data Formats and Mod SDK
Open data formats and modding kits let players replace a game's levels, art and rules without its source code, treatin…
Origin: Doom
Interface & Meta · 1993
Selectable Difficulty
Selectable difficulty asks players, before they begin, how hard the game should be, then adjusts enemy damage, enemy c…
Origin: Doom
Multiplayer & Social · 1996
Internet Client-Server Play
Internet client-server play puts one authoritative server in charge of game state while clients predict their own acti…
Origin: Quake
Space & Locomotion · 1996
True Polygonal Free-Look Space
True polygonal free-look space renders a world of arbitrary geometry with a camera free to rotate on every axis, so ro…
Origin: Quake
Games developed (9)
Games published (1)
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