Carmack id's iPhone

Doom creator expresses intent to develop for Apple's versatile mobile device.

Although mobile gaming is often thought of as an El Dorado of sorts to tapping the casual-gaming industry, in practicality it has proven to be a quagmire for all but a select few developers. However, with Apple extending its portable-gaming business to its increasingly popular iPhone as of yesterday, the iGiant is putting a new face on the platform, offering free development tools and a 70 percent cut of all sales made through the iPhone's App Store.

Several big-name developers have already expressed their commitment to the device, with EA saying a version of Maxis and Will Wright's Spore is in the works and Sega swinging Super Monkey Ball to the platform. One other developer that undoubtedly needed little urging to jump on board iPhone gaming is id Software, and studio cofounder and technical director John Carmack affirmed as much in a post to tech-news aggregator site Slashdot this week.

"We (id) have put in our application like everyone else, so I don't have any inside information at this point," said Carmack. "I think Steve is still pissed at me over some negative comments I made about iPod development tools a while ago. Just based on the blurbs, it looks very good--a simulator plus debugging on the native device is the best of both worlds, and a 70 percent royalty deal for apps over iTunes is quite good."

Carmack also laid out some of the advantages to Apple's iPhone platform as seen from a developer's perspective. "The iTunes distribution channel is really a more important aspect than a lot of people understand," Carmack noted. "The ability to distribute larger applications than the over-the-air limits and effectively market your title with more than a dozen character-deck name, combined with the reasonable income split, make this look like a very interesting market."

Having created the widely acclaimed mobile games Doom RPG and Orcs & Elves, and with plans to open up a division devoted to mobile gaming in November, Carmack also sees Apple's approach to cell-phone gaming as a welcome change from what the computer giant's competitors have thus far offered. "This type of developer/customer interaction is probably the wave of the future for mobile devices; it will be interesting to see how quickly the other players can react. Based on our experiences with the carriers, I am betting not very quickly."

51 Comments

  • alexandregiroux

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 7:21 pm PT

    Oh shoot! Who cares about mobile gaming?! I mean, what's wrong with you John? You're a 3D programming genius! You're my hero! Why waste all that awesome talent into stupid minigames when you could continue to contribute to the 3D engine legacy that made id Software what it is today?

    I love Source and Unreal and all that, but those technologies are NEVER as rock solid as what your mind has created. Please, stop the mobile madness!! Good Lord, make it stop!!!!!

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • lotsacirclework

    Posted Mar 11, 2008 5:36 pm PT

    When it comes down to it. Who really cares about the iphone. Fact, its not yet released in my region. Fact, its not 3G. When it covers both of those points, it might be worth looking at, until then Ill stick with my imate. And the imate is also, like nearly every other phone, a fully capable mp3 player and video player.

  • M0AB

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 10:28 pm PT

    Whatever happened to Wolfenstein on the 360?

  • android_M

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 9:28 pm PT

    well this is a step in the right direction but its still nowhere near enough to get me to buy one of them things at the current price

  • Hairy_Pirate

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 10:50 am PT

    Willripyouanew1 - The iPhone has been cracked. Google iPhone software hacks if you are interested.

  • willripyouanew1

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 9:18 am PT

    Souds good, except that the iPhone still way over priced and it works only on the AT&T network, there fore aliennating a lot of people.
    By the way I remembers once i had a point taken off for posting the word pissed and I see it being used in this article.. What gives??

  • bobo3682

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 7:01 am PT

    thisisjosh - thanks for the newsflash there, obviously it was not designed to be a gaming machine, but it would be interesting just to see how certain things match up, or things the iphone maybe lacking

  • SKaREO

    Posted Mar 10, 2008 4:30 am PT

    iPhone games... Carmack has lost his mind; his business is soon to follow. Anyone played Quake Wars? Ugh, yeah id Software needs help. Now!

  • Jose_Rizal

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 11:36 pm PT

    Device convergence is a great thing. Putting multiple devices function on one device would be awesome for some people (I dont have enough pockets in my pants). Relax people, you dont need to buy the iPhone and PSP and DS will always be there for you. For others who have an iPhone, it looks promising.

  • PandaBear86

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 11:06 pm PT

    Why not just focus on Nintendo DS and Sony PSP? Both of those have huge gaming-focused fanbases.

  • thisisjosh

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 9:23 pm PT

    bobo3682, iPhone isn't a dedicated gaming machine, it's a phone. yeah so, anyway, the graphics they showed from EA and SEGA were enough for me to be glad i own one.

  • DukeIgthorn

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 9:08 pm PT

    Carmack is a dinosaur. And as a dinosaur should be extinct. No more games from you!

    He should probably stick with his extra-terrestrial exploratory vehicle development thing he's got going on since he obviously has no interest in the gaming industry anymore.

  • NyGin07

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 6:12 pm PT

    ipod fail= LOL

  • bobo3682

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 4:02 pm PT

    iphone touch screen is very responsive and fun, it'd be interesting to see how they can use it in games. I'd imagine some DS- esque games, but I wonder as far as graphical prowess goes where the iphone stands against the DS and PSP

  • nappan

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 3:09 pm PT

    I can't imagine a medium on which I'd want NOT to see a Carmack product than a portable of ANY kind.

  • sk8erson91

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 12:33 pm PT

    ipod = fail? what? ipod took over the mp3 industry, only an ignorant person can say it failed. iphone = failed? more than the ipod, but not even close to failing. at&t is whats making the iphone lacking. But apple is on the verge of fixing all of this (not the at&t part, though i hope they do one day) but they opened up development to anyone. everyone reading this right now can start developing for the iphone at the apple website with the free SDK download. all you aspiring developers out there... apple is giving you a chance.

    oh and a 3g iphone is in the works, due out this summer most likely, it was announced, just unofficial.

  • Karmacodelc18 posted Mar 9, 2008 10:59 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Karmacodelc18

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 10:59 am PT (hide)

    -_- another console Doom please? Screw that Iphone business Apple stuff sucks. Ipod= FAIL. Iphone= FAIL 2X

    I'd ask for PC Doom but my PC doesn't run anything more powerful than Unreal 98 ^_^

  • Sheiko

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 10:15 am PT

    If only Apple made a 3G compatible Iphone this would make sense to the other 100 million mobile fanboy's.

  • michaelroy

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 9:23 am PT

    Actually Battlezone was the first "first person shooter"

    not wolfenstein or doom.

    But doom was better, obviously

  • 42316

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 6:31 am PT

    HAHAHA.......Mobile Fanboys!!!!....LMAO

  • seany_lad

    Posted Mar 9, 2008 6:22 am PT

    lol soon to come.............

    MOBILE FANBOYS!!!!!

    ROFL

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 10:06 pm PT

    It is not politically correct to be part of the iphone community, jus dont do it plz. You are holy Carmack.

  • dysonlu

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 8:42 pm PT

    705H1R0-

    It's true that Romero is totally irrelevant NOW. He *became* irrelevant. See the subtlety?

  • okassar

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 8:01 pm PT

    Not that this will influence me any time soon,but this is health for the gaming industry.This could be the start and standard setter for GOOD mobile games so that they can evolve a bit faster over the next few years.There's a lot of potential in this.Good move buy Apple.I would have bought the Iphone...if you didn't have to pay like 50 bucks to Apple for its services.Let's see if this gaming business moves on to an Iphone 2 shall there ever be one(there will...)

  • 705H1R0

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 6:32 pm PT

    BadJujuEA-

    John Romero invented the first-person shooter.

    What have YOU done to make yourself relevant to the industry?

  • Cipher92

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 5:37 pm PT

    Wouldn't t be easier to add cell phone functions to a DS or PSP? I mean, phones aren't designed for games, why bother pushing the limits when there is such better opportunities on portable systems right now?

  • x-2tha-z

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 5:07 pm PT

    Carmack is the uber-geek.

  • Ahiru-San

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 3:57 pm PT

    I emulated GBA version of Doom on my iPod touch, but it was unplayable (due to emulating limitations)... Still, Doom or not, it would be awesome if Apple let we install apps on ipod/phone via iTunes like the iPod classic games...

  • kuda001

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 3:32 pm PT

    psp/ds gaming vs. mobile phone gaming

    Hmmm let me think......

  • 0011992288

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 2:57 pm PT

    Certainly this could be put on the iPod touch as well, same interface and everything, though I am unaware of the power of the touch vs iPhone.

  • ghost867

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 2:09 pm PT

    Why does everybody care so damn much about mobile gaming, especially on the iPhone, I just don't get it...

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 2:01 pm PT

    hmm a touch screen doom 3

  • -HCMF-

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 11:09 am PT

    sweet

  • lord-of-gamers

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 8:49 am PT

    the only problem is - the 3rd party apps arent allowed to take up too much bandwidth - apple put too many restrictions on the 3rd parties imo - all the smaller developers wont put anything out there because it may get rejected

  • revczar

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 4:58 am PT

    but DOOM 3 did exactly what it was suppose to do try to scare the hell out of you at some points
    Quake IV was made by Raven Software not ID raven is a great devoloper but still its comparing Hexen 2 to DOOM II

  • carlgm

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 2:46 am PT

    BadJujuEA, Havok is a physics engine not to be confused with a game engine. The mobile games are not made by id software directly.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 1:33 am PT

    Id is famous, but it's also small. I'm surprised the haven't been swallowed up yet.

  • Humikimi

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 11:30 pm PT

    As much as I enjoyed Doom RPG and Orcs & Elves, I wish that they would just stop this nonsense and focus on making sure Rage ends up being magnificent, and also for them to make a very nice sequel to perhaps a less played series (Hexen...perhaps?). As a side note, I actually enjoyed Quake 4 a lot...I don't know why people complain so much...I never touched the 360 version though.

  • audioaxes posted Mar 7, 2008 8:46 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    audioaxes

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 8:46 pm PT (hide)

    a small team like id simply cant compete with todays huge studios they should have expanded when they had the chance

  • BadJujuEA

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 7:50 pm PT

    I agree with Tuff_Gong. Seems that ever since Doom 3 got smoked by Half Life 2 and Quake sucked on the 360, Carmack has been waving the Mobile Phone flag with much more enthusiasm. He should just come out and honestly admit that ID can no longer compete with the resources of Midway, Valve, Activision, EA, T2, Ubisoft, and the Unreal and Havoc Engines in the current FPS climate. Funny thing is I can remember Carmack commenting about how easy the 360 was to port to. Well, a port from crap still yields crap right? Seems that the early 90's Carmack would have relished the opportunity to pioneer a new platform like the 8 core Cell Processor or Motion sensing Wii. Go back to your roots John, before you end up like your ex employee J Romero, and that is totally irrelevant!

  • omfg_its_dally

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 7:36 pm PT

    Sweet! It's about time they start releasing real games instead of just apps.

  • Rob_101

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 7:27 pm PT

    Make games for the Zune...

  • OMG789

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 7:19 pm PT

    anyone who has jailbroken (hacked) their ipod there's a game similar to this and i think it's called "Yeti 3d"

  • DonutTrooper

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 7:07 pm PT

    I can't wait to play games on my iphone, but I feel sorry for the itouch users who lack speakers, bluetooth, and a mic.

    But either way, I have to wait to June to get it....bleh....

  • kaziechameleon posted Mar 7, 2008 6:34 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    kaziechameleon

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 6:34 pm PT (hide)

    lol, maybe this means Id will make a good game agian.

  • xgalacticax

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 6:19 pm PT

    Ive got an Ipod Touch but... Ive also got every game console there is over 64 bit and handheld so y on earth would I wanna play a game on my Ipod, lol

  • tuff_gong92

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 5:59 pm PT

    Why is Carmack insulting himself by developing mobile titles? It would be like Will Wright wanting to make a Barbie game. It seems that Carmack is also riding on the Apple train a little too often.

  • Berem

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 5:53 pm PT

    LAME

  • Calmed_Fury

    Posted Mar 7, 2008 5:32 pm PT

    so itll be ds, psp, and iphone?

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