Bethesda cumpara id Software

Scris de Dr. Lamer la Thursday, 25 June 2009 (167 hits) in Business Stiri

Pe lângă că-i breaking, asta-i faza wtf a zilei: ZeniMax Media Inc., proprietarul lui Bethesda Softworks (Fallout, Oblivion), a anunţat ieri seară că a achiziţionat id Software (Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, Rage). Bethesda devine astfel editorul jocurilor dezvoltate de id, a(i)dică începând cu Doom 4, că Rage va fi publicat de Electronic Arts. După ce s-a perindat de la un editor la altul în ultimii ani, trupa lui John Carmack s-a instalat aşadar în curtea unui singur editor, fapt ce ar trebui să ajute studioul să-şi pună în practică ambiţioasele proiecte.

Încă nu a fost anunţată nicio sumă de achiziţie, dar ştim că echipa de la id Software va rămâne intactă, cu carismaticul Carmack la comanda studioului. „Începând de acum, vom putea dezvolta şi extinde toate licenţele noastre sub acelaşi acoperiş”, spune marele guru de la id. „Acum câţiva ani, eram un studio „shooter” al lui Activision. Ne ocupam de FPS-uri. Nu existau conflicte şi era bine. Dar ei au început să-şi implice propriile studiouri şi asta a dus la un adevărat conflict. Ei trebuiau să aleagă între a-şi aloca resursele unei licenţe pe care o posedă şi din care pot să scoată întregul profit sau într-o licenţă pe care nu o posedă şi prin care toate eforturile lor îi recompensează şi pe alţii. De-a lungul timpului, problema a devenit la fel de serioasă ca bugetul alocat jocurilor,” explică nenea Carmack.

Comunicatul de presă nu ne oferă alte amănunte, dar ne spune că această decizie este o strategie perfectă pentru toată lumea.

Pe de altă parte, bunicul John Romero, care s-a cam scufundat în neant după Daikatana, nu pare deloc mulţumit de această achiziţie şi spune că este ceva „dezgustător”, după care declară solemn că „Fallout 3 a cumpărat Doom”. În acelaşi timp, Todd Hollenshead şi John Carmack de la id par să respire uşuraţi, mai ales că neagă orice legătură între echipa lor de dezvoltare şi devteam-ul de la Bethesda, căci cele două studiouri vor rămâne separate.

Un lucru e sigur, Activision şi Electronic Arts ar trebui să fie acum destul de furioşi pe această „strategie perfectă”, pentru că îşi împărţeau până acum jocurile dezvoltate de id.

John Carmack despre achiziţia id Software

http://kotaku.com/5302139/id-why-we-sold-to-zenimax

John Romero despre achiziţia id Software

http://twitter.com/theromero/status/2313797026\

Comunicatul de presă

ZeniMax Media Acquires id Software

Brings together two of world's best game studios. Library of powerhouse franchises will include DOOM, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, QUAKE, Wolfenstein and RAGE

June 24, 2009 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, today announced it has completed the acquisition of legendary game studio, id Software, creators of world-renowned games such as DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein, and its upcoming title, RAGE. The acquisition by ZeniMax Media joins together two of the finest, most respected videogame developers in the world, combining the first person shooter (FPS) expertise of id Software with acclaimed role playing game (RPG) developer Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2008 Game of the Year, Fallout 3, and the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda Softworks will publish the titles of id Software other than upcoming releases previously committed to other publishers.

Founded in 1991, id Software established itself as an industry leader with some of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed video games of all time. id Software created the original first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D, and subsequently set new standards in the genre with the blockbuster releases of its DOOM and QUAKE titles. In addition, id Software developed cutting edge, proprietary technology with the id Tech engine which powers many notable FPS titles, and continues to make great advances in game technology under the direction of John Carmack, one of the country’s technology leaders and a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame.

Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, commented on the transaction: “This was a unique opportunity to team with a smart, sophisticated publisher like Bethesda Softworks where the interests of the studio and the publisher will be fully aligned in the development and marketing of our titles. In addition, we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans.”

id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack. No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games. All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games at the studio.

“This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director. “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."

Robert Altman, the founder, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax Media stated, “We, along with many others, consider id Software to be among the finest game studios in the world, with extraordinary design, artistic and technical capabilities. They have demonstrated, repeatedly, that rare ability to create franchise properties that are critical and commercial successes. Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games. Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand.”

ZeniMax Media Inc, which is privately held, was founded in 1999 to create quality interactive entertainment products to meet the growing worldwide demand. The Company is headquartered in Rockville, MD and maintains offices in Hunt Valley, MD, London and Tokyo. Among its wholly owned subsidiaries are Bethesda Softworks, a premier publisher of video games, Vir2L Studios which develops games for the casual market, and ZeniMax Online Studios, a studio dedicated to massively multi-player online games (MMOG).

Bethesda Game Studios, the development group at ZeniMax Media, is one of the top video game studios in the world. Its most recent release, Fallout 3, was the 2008 winner of more than 60 Game of the Year awards, including The Associated Press, Official Xbox Magazine, Yahoo, PC Gamer, IGN, Game Critics Awards, Game Developer Choice Awards, and Gamespy. Bethesda also created the 2006 PC and Xbox 360® Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the 2002 PC and Xbox® Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Bethesda Game Studios has created 2 of the 10 best games of all time, Fallout 3 and Oblivion, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation® 3 platforms, as reported by the industry scoring system found at www.metacritic.com and www.gamerankings.com.