John Carmack, co-creator of Doom, has resigned from id Software, the studio he helped co-found. As reported by IGN, Carmack is stepping away from the company where he served as lead programmer on Wolfenstine 3D, Quake, and Rage.
Id Software studio director Tim Willits offered the following statement:
"John Carmack, who has become interested in focusing on things other than game development at id, has resigned from the studio. John's work on id Tech 5 and the technology for the current development work at id is complete, and his departure will not affect any current projects. 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."
Carmack recently took on the role of head of technology at Oculus VR, makers of the Rift virtual reality headset. Carmack originally remained part of id Software, but in a Twitter update, he revealed that the "divided focus was challenging."
I wanted to remain a technical adviser for Id, but it just didn't work out. Probably for the best, as the divided focus was challenging.
— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) November 22, 2013
While this certainly marks the end of an era, I'm eager to see what Carmack's brilliant mind can do for the Oculus Rift.