Quake was a triumph for players and a disaster for developers: the story of the creation of the iconic shooter

Three decades after the release of Quake, the developers of the iconic shooter have spoken candidly for the first time about the cost of creating one of the most influential games in the history of the industry. Former employees of id Software admitted that work on the project was so difficult that it actually started the breakup of the legendary team.

Developing Quake was a test for the entire studio

One of the veterans of id Software, Sandy Petersen, has published in X his memories of the creation of Quake. According to him, the project became a real test for the team both technically and psychologically.

Petersen called the development process grueling and admitted that despite the game’s huge success, working on it seriously undermined the team’s morale. It was after the release of Quake that the key developers who stood at the origins of the first-person shooter genre began to leave the studio.

In the following years, John Romero, Mike Abrash, Dave Taylor, Sean Green, American McGee and Petersen left the company.

At the same time, the developer noted that, although Quake made a real technological breakthrough, it was Doom, in his opinion, that influenced the development of the entire gaming industry.

John Carmack admitted management mistakes

One of the founders of ID Software, John Carmack, responded to Petersen’s statement, who also shared his view of the events of those years.

He agreed that Quake turned out to be an overly ambitious project. According to Carmack, the team could have achieved comparable results in a less painful way if they had continued to gradually develop the technologies created for Doom instead of making a drastic technological leap.

Carmack also acknowledged his own management mistakes. He noted that he put a lot of pressure on the employees and for a long time considered it normal to work in the mode of constant avral, when the developers worked for years almost without rest.

Not only technology, but also internal problems

In addition to the high workload, Carmack also mentioned organizational difficulties within the company.

According to him, the system of distribution of shares that existed at that time created the wrong motivation among employees, provoked tension within the team and subsequently negatively affected the atmosphere in the studio.

The developer ended his comment with a short phrase that quickly spread throughout the gaming community:

“I’m sorry, Sandy.”

The history of the creation of Quake received a new interpretation

A public exchange of memories between two id Software veterans has become one of the most talked about events surrounding Quake’s 30th anniversary. Their revelations revealed that behind the game’s revolutionary technology and success were years of tremendous tension, internal conflict, and professional burnout.

Today, Quake is considered one of the most important games in the history of the industry, but its creators themselves admit: this success turned out to be much more expensive than it seemed to fans at the time of release.