Sandy Petersen 🪔 (@SandyofCthulhu): "How Quake ruined id Software.
There has been a lot of praise of Quake of late, with its 30th anniversary, and it's deserved. Quake is an amazing feat of art, programming, and design. I worked on it, and everything came together almost perfectly from all of us. We ended up with a free-wheeling, frenetic action game with enough of a visible world to grip the imagination.
All the team did a brilliant job, fulfilling tasks just right. But at a grim cost. We worked long and hard, and I think it broke us spiritually.<br>1/3" | XCancel
Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
14h
How Quake ruined id Software.
There has been a lot of praise of Quake of late, with its 30th anniversary, and it's deserved. Quake is an amazing feat of art, programming, and design. I worked on it, and everything came together almost perfectly from all of us. We ended up with a free-wheeling, frenetic action game with enough of a visible world to grip the imagination.
All the team did a brilliant job, fulfilling tasks just right. But at a grim cost. We worked long and hard, and I think it broke us spiritually.<br>1/3
Jun 24, 2026 · 1:23 AM UTC
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
14h
Here is the toll it took. Within a couple years of finishing Quake, the following men left id Software:
John Romero(!), Shawn Green, Dave Taylor, Mike Abrash, and American McGee. (Oh yes, and me.) Some of us were forced out, some left eagerly. But here's the thing - look at we who left. EVERY ONE of us went on to an incredible career in game development, so plainly we didn't depart because of some kind of talent issue. The idea is ridiculous. We were all highly competent, just a little burnt out after the labor of Quake. And if my naysayers want to say, "Well Sandy, YOU should have clearly been ousted because you suck." Okay, but even John Romero was gone. Michael Abrash!! Id's workhorse, Dave Taylor. American! It wasn't just me. You don't think id Software suffered by losing John frigging Romero?!
Id Software was never the same aftger. In my opinion (only an opinion), the only other truly great game that id produced was Quake 3, and it was not at the level of the pre-Quake games.<br>2/3
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
14h
So if my theorem is correct, and Quake gutted id Software, was it worth it? Well I'd say yes absolutely. Games are more important than game companies, and Quake is an iconic titan of the gaming world.
Plus it's not like the people who left vanished off the face of the Earth. John Romero's still making games. I'm still making games, Mike Abrash as well, and so forth. We're all contributing to the hobby. Heck, I'm GLAD I was gone, because I got to work on the Age of Empire series which was amazeballs.
But man alive it seems like the company could have had its act together better and kept that dream team.<br>3/3
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
14h
Despite Quake's greatness, I think that Doom, though technically inferior, had a bigger impact on gaming.
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imalittletpat@alkalinebro1
14h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
The Fight For Justice
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
There’s no justice. There’s just us.
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beeblefish@bradblackwood
13h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
In the creative world perfection is always the goal, whatever the cost. Quake needed to be Quake.
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
I agree. But can’t help but think it would have still been Quake if we’d taken 4 months longer.
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Muckeye Toots
@MuckeyeToots
13h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
When this game came out I thought that is was bad ass. Then on my friends advice I bought and installed a 3dfx supplementary video card.<br>OH MY G-D!!!<br>I lost a lot of sleep because of that game. Thank You!
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
You’re… welcome I guess?
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Gibertarian@TylerNe01296050
14h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
Carmack has said in recent interviews that as an older and wiser man now, he wished he would have pushed for a game between Doom and Quake that was an improvement over Doom but not at the level of Quake to give you guys a way to gradually get there instead of being overworked.
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
That might have worked. But John Carmack’s intensity combined with Mike Abrash’s professionalism really was something.
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G 🙏 (COMMS OPEN)@gabriel_linf
14h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
Seeing the release of Quake and most of the OG id members leave after it must've felt like seeing The Beatles break up; you guys were one hell of a team
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
That is kind of how it felt.
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Doug McNabb
@mcnabbd
13h
Replying to @SandyofCthulhu
the two most difficult things to deal with are failure and success
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Sandy Petersen 🪔
@SandyofCthulhu
13h
Mediocrity is no great...