– Quake’s development was a “grueling process” that left the id Software team spiritually exhausted and led to a mass exodus of key talent shortly after release.
– Sandy Petersen argued that the technically inferior Doom had a larger overall impact on gaming than Quake.
– John Carmack admitted Quake was overly ambitious, that he pushed people too hard, and that the company’s stock arrangement created bad incentives.
– Carmack publicly apologized to Petersen for the human cost of the project.
It’s been three decades since Quake first hit shelves, and while the anniversary has brought plenty of well-earned celebration, it also prompted one of the game’s original designers to share a far less triumphant perspective on what making it actually cost the team. Sandy Petersen, who worked on both Doom and Quake at id Software, posted a thread on X on June 24 arguing that Quake, for all its brilliance, effectively broke the studio from the inside. He described the development as a “grueling process” that came together well creatively, but left the team spiritually drained.
The Cost of Innovation at id Software
The toll was visible in what followed: within a couple of years of Quake shipping, a remarkable number of key people had walked out the door. Petersen listed John Romero, Shawn Green, Dave Taylor, Mike Abrash, and American McGee among those who departed — and added that he himself was among them, some forced out, others leaving willingly. Petersen also offered a pretty provocative take for the anniversary: that Doom, “technically inferior” to Quake, ultimately had a bigger impact on gaming as a whole.
Carmack’s Unusually Candid Response
What made the thread particularly interesting was who responded. John Carmack replied publicly, and brought with him an unusually honest self-assessment. He said Quake was overly ambitious on a technical level, and that a more iterative approach building on Doom’s engine could have served the team better. He also admitted he pushed people harder than he should have, and that he failed to recognize how sustained startup-level intensity eventually wears people down. Plus, he flagged the company’s original stock arrangement as a structural mistake that created bad incentives.
A Milestone of Honesty
He ended his reply with two words directed at Petersen: “Sorry, Sandy.” Considering it’s a milestone anniversary, this was a surprisingly honest exchange between two of the people most responsible for shaping the modern first-person shooter. The conversation, originally posted by @SandyofCthulhu and @ID_AA_Carmack on X/Twitter, revealed a rare moment of vulnurability from industry legends who rarely look back with such regret.