Willits: ZeniMax Purchase Was Good for RAGE
Many die-hard id fans were worried about ZeniMax's recent acquisition. Apparently there's nothing to fear.
As of late Bethesda and id Software have been talking up the latter developer's next two games, RAGE and Doom 4, possibly to generate some pre-E3 hype before June. Over on Shacknews, id Software creative director Tim Willits spent his time discussing RAGE and why they chose an apocalyptic setting. But one of the more interesting tidbits produced from the semi-interview centered on ZeniMax's recent purchase.
From a gamer standpoint, the transition was downright scary, casting fears that somehow the new-found parent company's influence would corrupt id's developmental and creative expertise. However Willits (naturally) defended the purchase and said that RAGE is actually all the more better because of the acquisition.
"I can tell you that, having the resources and upper management, they've really allowed us to do stuff with RAGE that frankly we may not have been able to in the past," he admitted. "I truly believe that, ultimately, RAGE has become a better game because of this new relationship that we have."
On the Bethesda front, Pete Hines this week told MCV that both Doom 4 and RAGE will show the world id's true potential. "id Software brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the first person shooter genre," he said. "To have a group like id working as an internal studio for Bethesda is a tremendous advantage."
RAGE is scheduled to ship in 2011.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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hillarymakesmecry How many companies are there that even make games anymore? It seems like they're all being bought up by these mega-gaming corporations that lose money like crazy (EA,BLIZ/ACT). I'm amazed that WOW makes $150,000,000 a month and they're still losing money. The mega-size corporate game developer is a failing idea, fleecing consumers of money on every front possible and still managing to lose money.Reply -
killerclick The only thing I want Bethesda doing is pumping out Elder Scrolls and Fallouts every year like Activision does with Call of Duty!Reply
Ok, no... that would be horrible, but I don't want them working on games that are not Fallout or Elder Scrolls. They have two amazing franchises and here they're just letting them sit there. -
wcooper007 Dude really thats like 10 mill subscribers and i have to say i doubt that seriously i think they have 1.5 mill total players including people that dont play anymore so uhh i think you added a couple of zeros there but i get what your sayingReply -
shin0bi272 anyone know if rage or doom4 will support hardware tessellation? Always figured doom would be the ideal title for it.Reply -
reverendxero id/grey matter games have supported hardware tesselation since return to castle wolfenstien.Reply -
SpadeM I doubt hw tesselation will be of importance by the time rage or doom 4 get out. id tends to be a technological trend setter when it comes to games, even though young gamers don't know that. I'm actually interested to see megatextures at work.Reply -
figgus wcooper007Dude really thats like 10 mill subscribers and i have to say i doubt that seriously i think they have 1.5 mill total players including people that dont play anymore so uhh i think you added a couple of zeros there but i get what your sayingReply
11.5 million active accounts as of a few months ago. It was pretty highly publicized. -
Ambictus Why would anyone have fears with the purchase? Zenimax/Bethesda is one of the few great companies out there. Their DRM is nearly non-existent and as a result they have great sales. To me it honestly seemed like a perfect fit, both are creative and focus on the game rather than DRM. It's just a win/win/win all around. id gets financial backing, Zenimax gets id's technology and gamers benefit from stellar games.Reply -
falchard Right now ZeniMax has the 3 greatest games in production which is kind of sad that other companies can't step up their game.Reply
I am talking about RAGE, Fallout: Las Vegas, and Brink.