id: Rage franchise not dead

id Software's post-apocalyptic first-person shooter franchise Rage is not dead, cofounder Tom Willits told Joystiq during QuakeCon in Dallas, Texas this weekend.

"I'm proud of what we did, I'm proud of the universe that we built. The franchise is not dead," Willits said. "We're not doing anything immediately with it, but when I designed the universe, I designed it in such a way that it would be easy to step back into. I'm still proud that we did something that was different--it wasn't like the games that we've done in the past."

Rage was released in October 2011 to a generally positive crticial reception. The game was the fourth-best selling title of the month in the United States, though its lifetime sales are not known.

The game was developed on id Software's proprietary id Tech 5 engine. Innovations made to the engine during Rage's development have advanced the technology, Willits said.

"We really tried to do one engine that worked for everything," Willits said. "It really helps establish a robust tech that, as John [Carmack] said last night, we're adding stuff into it based on the new consoles, and it's allowed people to make different games because the technology is flexible and robust and works on everything."

For more on Rage, check out GameSpot's review.