The History of ID Software

There is a really cool article out now about the history of id Software, entitled "The History and continuing legacy of id Software". It covers many topics about id (several of which relate to Apogee Software) such as the creation of Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D background, Doom, Quake, and beyond. Here's a tidbit about Wolfenstein 3D from their article:

In 1983, a game programmer named Silas Warner made an Apple 2 game called 'Castle Wolfenstein.' It featured a captured U.S. soldier escaping from a Nazi P.O.W. camp. The guys at id software had played Castle Wolfenstein, and felt that the Wolfenstein story would work perfectly with the new '3d' engine that they had developed. They hunted down Mr. Warner, only to find that he had sold the rights. The rights trail led through three or four long-dead companies, finally ending with a guy selling the original game out of his basement. The copyright on the game had long since lapsed, so they applied for the copyright themselves. Wolfenstein 3d was born! On May 5, 1992, Wolfenstein 3-D, was released by Apogee.

Posted by Joe Siegler on April 5, 1999 at 1:00 PM | Permalink
News Categories: The Classic Games