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Six months after the acquisition deal that brought id Software under the wing of Bethesda parent-company ZeniMax, id Software co-founder John Carmack has again weighed in on the move and why he feels it made sense for the studio. Speaking with Edge Online, Carmack cited a waning interest from publishing partners -- specifically, Activision's decision to focus on internal development -- as a major contributing factor in the sale of the nearly 20-year-old company.

When the deal was first announced, games media focused on the sale of a long-time independent developer; however, id president Todd Hollenshead views the situation from a different angle. "I think it's just as true that we acquired an internal publishing capacity," he said. According to Hollenshead, ZeniMax values development "for its own sake," rather than "trying to put something in a box and relying on marketing for sales."

In the modern games industry where "the business is so much about either having a hit or being totally irrelevant," Hollenshead says a strong publishing partner is increasingly important to the survival of a development studio. Truthfully, we're happy for id Software. If the Activision partnership had continued, it would have been just a matter of time before the house that Doom built was tapped for some kind of peripheral-related disaster.

While id is currently keeping Rage at the forefront of its media presence, it looks like things are starting to accelerate for the next entry in the Doom series. Bethesda has made a note on its official blog that id is currently hiring, with "several programming positions open, as well as positions in Animation, Art, Design, IT, and Management." While the post doesn't directly specify that the company is hiring for Doom, it does point to the image at right as a clue to what the studio is "ramping up for."

Announced in 2008, the next Doom project is "not a sequel to Doom 3, but it's not a reboot either," according to id's Todd Hollenshead. It won't be called Doom 4 either. Whatever it is, we probably won't be hearing about it anytime soon.

This time of year is usually one of peace and safe comfort for just about everyone. The same can't be said for the land of Quake Live, where id Software has injected some Yuletide spirit into the browser-based frag-em-up's usual industrial surroundings. For two weeks, players can enjoy a Christmas-themed remake of Team Arena map "Distant Screams," now named "Silent Night."

This update doesn't add particularly festive weapons to the mix, but the fresh coat of winter wonderland paint is certainly welcome. Nothing tops off the Christmas spirit tank like a little rocket play beneath giant candy canes and a star-filled sky, after all.

[Via CVG]

Android and Me points out some ports of popular id games were once available on your snazzy superphone, including Quake, Wolfenstein and Doom. They didn't last long, however, as Zenimax has managed to get the games pulled from Google's Android Market service due to copyright infringement.

It's only natural for ZeniMax to want to get the titles pulled and doubly so if the publisher is thinking about releasing id's classics on the platform, though that's just speculation on our part based on id's readiness to work on the competing iPhone platform. Head past the break to check out some footage of what you missed out on, courtesy of the unofficial Android version of Doom.

We've asked ZeniMax to comment on any commercial plans for these titles on Android and to clarify the nature of Doom's open source codebase and why it was included in this takedown request.

[Update: A ZeniMax spokesperson got back to use, writing: "We did issue a DMCA takedown notice to the Android store to remove the unofficial Doom, Wolfenstein and Quake games as they contain our trademarks and copyrighted assets, including graphics, artwork, storylines and audio. Open source relates to the underlying engine source code, not to a game's content, trademarks and assets, all of which remain proprietary. If the game was a total conversion and did not use any of our trademarks or assets, that would be fine. But none of our data can be repackaged and nobody is authorized to make a Doom, Wolfenstein or Quake product."]


[Via Game Politics]

Doom is one of the most influential games in history, and at least some of that credit has to go to the iconic cover, which features an aesthetic that's still pervasive in the industry a decade-and-a-half later. The man responsible for that image, artist Don Ivan Punchatz, has passed away. He was 73.

Though Punchatz created cover art for numerous books and magazines, ranging from Playboy and National Geographic to Boys Life and Newsweek, what we'll always remember is the lone space marine with the curiously exposed abdomen facing off against the legions of Hell. Our best wishes to his family and friends.

[Via BigDownload]

If you've been itching to give Wolfenstein a try but aren't willing to plunk down any cash -- a likely possibility at this point -- you'll be happy to know that a Wolfenstein demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with the game allow us to sum up. There are Nazis. They are doing evil, occult-y things. You, the good guy, must stop them. With guns. And magic. If your experience varies significantly from this description, please check the game title. You're probably playing something else.

Add the Wolfenstein demo to you 360 download queue

[Via Major Nelson]

When the NPD released its figures for August, we noticed Wolfenstein was absent from the top-sellers list. Sure, the title was only available for purchase during a few days of August (it released August 21 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC), but one of those versions had to have sold more than Fossil Fighters, which was in tenth place on the sales chart with 92,000 sold, right? Gamespot says, no.

Apparently, id's resurrected shooter only sold 106,000 across all platforms -- 59,000 units on Xbox 360, 30,000 on PS3 and 16,000 on PC. In other words, the PS2 version of Madden alone outsold combined sales of Wolfenstein. Disappointing, for sure, since you must have really been hoping to get your money back.

I've come to expect a certain modicum of brevity in games played on my iPhone. Games like Doom Resurrection and Worms proved problematic, taking far too long to get into and out of games, or simply pushing my little 3G's processor to the limit (and being choppy as a result). Meanwhile, smaller titles like Drop7 and Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D excel due to their size.

Wolfenstein RPG shocked me in this respect. I thoroughly enjoyed the deeper experience that the RPG elements offered (a leveling system and well-rewarded exploration), while save-anywhere functionality and short load times encourage quick gameplay sessions. In so many words, it offers the best of both worlds: a deep experience with jump in/jump out functionality.

GI.biz reports that an unspecified number of employees from Wolfenstein's multiplayer developer, Endrant Studios, were laid off today. Adding insult to injury, today just happens to mark the official launch of the game. Making matters even worse, Wolfenstein is the studio's first title.

According to an Endrant spokesperson, now that the Wolfenstein development cycle is complete, the studio has "regrettably been forced to make adjustments to staff and headcounts," adding that the laid-off staff members "worked incredibly hard on [Endrant's] latest title." The spokesperson also issued the studio's hope that the former employees "land on their feet quickly."

For our part, we hope they do too.

There was a major design element in Doom 3 that a lot of players took issue with -- and no, we're not talking about the protagonist's inability to hold a firearm and a source of illumination at the same time. The element was the game's enemy spawning mechanic, which would make baddies appear when the player reaches set points in the level -- a practice which has since been nicknamed "monster closets." Fortunately, it seems id's next angrily-named project won't feature this oft-harangued spawning system.

In a recent interview with 1UP, Rage lead designer Matt Hooper explained that enemies in a certain section of the game's demo will be "doing whatever they're supposed to be doing. If they're supposed to be defending against you coming there, they'll be doing that. If they're just tinkering or having a conversation they'll do that." Sounds like id's AI has actual motivation now. Well, motivation beyond "scare the crap out of then murder space marines," anyway.

Has your ultra-hip, Justin Long-approved operating system kept you from joining in the Quake Live online gib-fest? 1UP recently reported on a recent QuakeCon 2009 announcement which should bring some joy to your empty, empty life -- on Tuesday, August 18, the title will be patched to allow Mac and Linux users to access the game's web-based bounty. Since the service's launch, this has by far been the most requested feature from free-to-play FPS lovers worldwide. It's nice to see id deliver on its promise to incorporate the non-Windows contingency.

Of course, we're still running a version of Digital UNIX circa 1995, so we might just be permanently S.O.L.

If you're a diehard B.J. Blazkowicz fan looking to pre-order id's recently delayed WWII FPS, Wolfenstein, then know a few outlets are offering exclusive pre-order bonuses. According to the game's official site, four different retailers will provide extra incentive to pre-purchase:

• GameStop: 2,000 in-game gold pieces for multiplayer (also listed for PC)
  
• Best Buy: Early access to the Flammenwerfer weapon
• Game Crazy: Limited edition collector's medal
• Amazon: Free copy of Wolfenstein 3D for PSN or Xbox Live

Personally, we think Amazon has the best bonus, but we know full well the appeal of limited edition collector's medals.

[Via VG247]

You'd better be sitting down, gaming enthusiasts. Activision has released a new video of Wolfenstein that will blow your mind and, this time, it won't be done by filling your eyeballs with cheese. Above, you will find a brief video look at Wolfenstein's "Castle" environment. That's right. A castle ... in a Wolfenstein game.

All kidding aside, the video basically encapsulates everything that typifies the series: Castles, Nazis, the occult and blowin' stuff up. Give it a watch.