John Carmack apologizes after Sandy Petersen says 'Quake ruined id Software,' and for once John Romero doesn't tell Sandy he's wrong

John Carmack Apologizes After Sandy Petersen Says "Quake Ruined id Software"

The 30th anniversary of Quake recently passed, marking June 22, 2026, as a significant milestone for one of the most influential games in history. The event sparked a wave of nostalgia, reflections, and discussions among the original creators and developers who helped shape the game. Among them, Sandy Petersen, one of the key minds behind Quake, shared his thoughts on the game’s long-term impact on id Software.

Petersen, who joined id Software in 1993, took to X to express that Quake "ruined id Software." He praised the game as "an amazing feat of art, programming, and design," crediting the entire development team for their "brilliant job" and "fulfilling tasks just right." However, he also reflected on the immense workload the team faced, stating it "broke us spiritually."

Petersen listed several individuals who left id Software within a few years of Quake's release, including John Romero, Shawn Green, Dave Taylor, Mike Abrash, American McGee, and himself. He emphasized that their departures were not due to a lack of talent, but rather the intense burnout that followed the creation of Quake. "Id Software was never the same after," he wrote, noting that in his view, the only other truly great game id produced was Quake 3, which he felt did not reach the level of the pre-Quake titles.

Despite the melancholy, Petersen maintained that Quake was "absolutely" worth the cost to the company. He argued that "games are more important than game companies," and Quake remains an iconic titan in the gaming world. However, he expressed a belief that the company "could have had its act together better" and retained that legendary team.

Carmack Reflects and Apologizes

Petersen's comments were met with a rare moment of agreement from John Carmack, the co-founder and technical director of id Software. In response to Petersen’s post, Carmack acknowledged that Quake was "overly ambitious technically" and that the studio could have done much of the multiplayer and modding work within a Doom++ engine. This would have allowed the designers to work with a more stable base instead of constantly having to rebuild from scratch.

Carmack also took responsibility for pushing the team too hard. He admitted that he didn't fully understand the need for more flexibility as the company matured. "I pushed everyone too hard," he wrote. "I didn’t appreciate how maturing companies need more slack, and that running people at startup intensity constantly will wear them out." He also reflected on his own limits, saying that during the development of Quake, he was "working pretty much as hard as humanly possible" and still falling short of his own goals.

Carmack acknowledged that the original corporate stock arrangement and buy/sell agreement was a mistake, leading to poor incentives. He credited John Romero with setting high expectations for the Quake level designers early on but admitted that id should have paired up artists and designers earlier to avoid the internal conflicts that arose.

And then, simply and directly, he apologized: "Sorry, Sandy."

John Romero Weighs In

As expected, John Romero entered the conversation with his own thoughts. He echoed the sentiment that id Software could have stuck with a Doom++ engine while refining the fully-3D Quake engine. He also acknowledged that the team was "pushing ourselves past what was reasonable" because that was how id had always operated.

Romero gave particular praise to American McGee, who was known for his skill in building Quake levels. This was a notable statement, considering McGee’s departure from id Software was reportedly due to sub-par performance on Quake, though Petersen later suggested it was a result of another employee's actions.

Romero also pointed out that having a media circus around the studio didn’t help, but he remains optimistic about the legacy of id Software. "Id still goes on, and so does Wolf, Doom, and Quake," he wrote. "Maybe that was what we came together to do. That is more than enough for any game dev, any team, any lifetime really."

A Reflection on the Past

Taken as a whole, the conversation provides a rare and insightful look into the challenges and successes of one of the most storied game studios in history. What stands out is the mutual understanding that everyone involved was younger and the world was very different back then. As Romero put it, they did the best they could with what they knew at the time.

Following Carmack's apology, Petersen expressed that he didn't blame Carmack for how things turned out. He also praised Romero for his work on Quake, and Romero thanked Petersen for sparking the conversation. "It really was a hell of a game," Romero said, encapsulating the sentiment of a team that, despite its challenges, created something truly iconic.