Id takes its gaming Mobile
The creators of Doom and Quake are officially taking their games mobile. — Id Software today announces its new division, id Mobile, and plans to develop mobile versions of its classic games Quake and Wolfenstein, as well as a sequel to the cellphone game hit, Doom RPG.
Context & Ripple Effects
Id Software, until this announcement a PC-focused studio behind Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein, is formalizing its phone business with a dedicated division, id Mobile. The move builds on Doom RPG, which the company describes as a cellphone hit, and commits the studio to bringing its core shooting franchises to handsets rather than treating mobile as a licensing sideline.
First-order effects
- id Mobile becomes Id Software's dedicated release channel for phones, with Quake and Wolfenstein ports plus a Doom RPG sequel as its launch slate.
- The Doom RPG sequel keeps Id invested in the cellphone role-playing format that already produced a hit for it, alongside the shooter ports.
Second-order effects
- Running ports internally means Id can consolidate development of its classic franchises in-house instead of outsourcing them to third-party phone developers, tightening control over how its IP appears on handsets.
- If the Doom RPG sequel sells, expect Id's phone slate to broaden past shooters into genres its PC catalog never covered, since the RPG line is the division's proven seller.
Third-order effects
- If other premium PC studios follow Id in standing up mobile arms, handset gaming shifts from a licensed afterthought to a first-party release channel, with publishers treating phones as a platform alongside the PC.
The trend: Established PC game studios are forming dedicated mobile divisions to carry their franchises onto cellphones, and Id Software's id Mobile is one data point in that shift.