For the past 24 years, Tim Willits has played a major role in the evolution and success of longtime developerid Software. From working on some of the earliestDOOMtitles to bringing the long-awaitedRage 2to fans this past May, Willits has become the most notable person in the company outside of its co-founders. Come the end of July, however, Willits will be moving on to the next phase in his career.
Following QuakeCon, which runs from July 25th to July 27th, Tim Willits will be taking leave fromid Softwareto pursue other projects. Willits has been a part of QuakeCon every year since its inception back in 1996, and he will announce his future plans after the convention, which will take place in Dallas, Texas.
Upon his arrival at id, Willits helped with the development of a number ofDOOMtitles before moving up to lead designer onDOOM 3in 2004. He then took the helm as creative director on the originalRage, and he became studio head at id Software a year later, in 2012. Willits once again helped to bringRage 2to life, alongside Avalanche Studios, and he has been in charge of theupcoming reboot sequelDoom Eternal. According to Willits, none of id’s current projects will be affected as a result of his departure:
All of the games currently in development are in very good hands, my departure will not affect any planned releases. id Software is packed full of amazing talent that will continue to develop (long into the future) some of the best shooters in the world.
One IP that could be in question, however, isRage. While Willits announced thatthere are plans forRage 3shortly after the release ofRage 2, the sequel received mixed reviews. As such, sales ofRage 2will likely be the main factor that determines whether a third game will be developed in the future. It’s also worth noting that whenRagefirst launched in 2011, it received mixed reception as well, so a third entry in the series is not outside of the realm of possibility. In the end, it’s up to the game’s publisher, Bethesda, to decide ifRage 3will come to fruition.
While Willits leavingid Softwaremay be seen as a big loss, the developer’s future will surely be in good hands. ZeniMax Media acquired the company back in 2009, and it works alongside Bethesda Softworks on all titles. Additionally, Google’s recent announcement of Stadia was complemented with the reveal of a number ofdeveloper partnerships, including one with id, suggesting that the company will continue to receive plenty of support for years to come.
