John Carmack on X: "I have been trying to find something meaningful to say about the Id Software layoffs.

My “Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand” statement isn’t aging well, and this is certainly going to dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon next month.

I’m" / X<br>Post

Log inSign up

Post

John Carmack

@ID_AA_Carmack

I have been trying to find something meaningful to say about the Id Software layoffs.

My “Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand” statement isn’t aging well, and this is certainly going to dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon next month.

I’m saddened, but I can’t muster anger or outrage over it. I don’t have access to the books, but I suspect that Id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft’s perspective. I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios.

To continue being produced long term, games need to succeed, not just be beloved.

Games are competing with every other option for spending your leisure time and money, and the competition is brutal.

You can’t rule out the possibility that executives are idiots, but that shouldn’t be your default belief. I don’t think there is any obvious path that would have doubled the revenue from Id games.

Could they have gotten more with a different pricing strategy?

Could they have created more things for fans to buy?

Could they have cost effectively marketed in a way that reached more players that would have loved and bought the games?

Could they have changed the game designs and broadened the appeal to more players without alienating existing ones?

Could they have produced the games at a lower cost, faster or cheaper?

I really don’t know.

The game isn’t over yet, and I hope the studio rallies through.<br>span:not(:empty)~span:not(:empty)]:before:content-['·'] [&>span:not(:empty)~span:not(:empty)]:before:px-1 [&>span:not(:empty)~span:not(:empty)]:before:shrink-0">8:42 PM · Jul 9, 2026399.5KViews

:host{display:inline-block;direction:ltr;white-space:nowrap;line-height:1}span{display:inline-block}:host([data-will-change]) span{will-change:transform}.number,.digit{padding:round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) 0}.symbol{white-space:pre}335:where(number-flow-react){line-height:1}number-flow-react > span{font-kerning:none;display:inline-block;padding:calc(round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) * 2) 0}335<br>:host{display:inline-block;direction:ltr;white-space:nowrap;line-height:1}span{display:inline-block}:host([data-will-change]) span{will-change:transform}.number,.digit{padding:round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) 0}.symbol{white-space:pre}756:where(number-flow-react){line-height:1}number-flow-react > span{font-kerning:none;display:inline-block;padding:calc(round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) * 2) 0}756<br>:host{display:inline-block;direction:ltr;white-space:nowrap;line-height:1}span{display:inline-block}:host([data-will-change]) span{will-change:transform}.number,.digit{padding:round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) 0}.symbol{white-space:pre}7.5K:where(number-flow-react){line-height:1}number-flow-react > span{font-kerning:none;display:inline-block;padding:calc(round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) * 2) 0}7.5K<br>:host{display:inline-block;direction:ltr;white-space:nowrap;line-height:1}span{display:inline-block}:host([data-will-change]) span{will-change:transform}.number,.digit{padding:round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) 0}.symbol{white-space:pre}972:where(number-flow-react){line-height:1}number-flow-react > span{font-kerning:none;display:inline-block;padding:calc(round(nearest, calc(var(--number-flow-mask-height, 0.25em) / 2), 1px) * 2) 0}972

Read 335 replies

*]:shrink-0">New to X?<br>Sign up now to get your own personalized timeline!<br>Sign up with GoogleSign up with AppleCreate account<br>By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, including Cookie Use.

Relevant people<br>John Carmack@ID_AA_CarmackFollow

Trending now

Don't miss what's happening<br>People on X are the first to know.

Log inSign up