Tim Willits is leaving id Software

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He's been with id since 1995.

(Image credit: Tim Willits (Twitter))

Tim Willits, who joined id Software in 1995 and rose to become studio director under new parent company ZeniMax Media, announced today that he is leaving the company after this year's QuakeCon.

Willits has design or production credits on virtually everything id Software has done from Ultimate Doom, for which he served as a level designer, to the Doom 3 BFG Edition in 2012, his first as studio head. He's had an impressive run since then, overseeing the resurrection of the original Quake, Rage, and in particular, Doom. Less happily, he also wound up in a bit of a beef with other id veterans in 2017 when he said that he'd come up with the idea to make maps specifically for multiplayer modes, a claim his fellow developers rejected.

"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," Willits said in followup tweets. "After QuakeCon I will announce my future plans, where I am going, and what new exciting things I am doing. Stay tuned."

Willits' departure leaves only two key Quake-era employees still at id: executive producer Kevin Cloud, who's been with the studio since 1992, and office manager/id mom Donna Jackson, who joined in '94.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.