// History of id Software:
// Legendary developers of Castle Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake.
//
// Sources:
// http://www.idsoftware.com/business/home/history/
// http://doomworld.com/pageofdoom/thegame/idhistory.html
//
// Dates of discovery and preparation:
// October 28, 2002
//
// Method of preparation:
// Compiled timeline from both web pages above.
// Edited minimally to fulfill the date format requirements.
1990
id unofficially started when John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, John Romero, and Tom Hall created the first game in the Commander Keen series, Invasion of the Vorticons.
February 1, 1991
One month after Commander Keen was released into shareware, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, and John Romero left their jobs at Softdisk Publishing and officially began id Software. 
May 5, 1991
id's first shareware monster-hit, Wolfenstein 3-D, was released by Apogee. Wolfenstein 3-D brought id worldwide notoriety and the game's 3-D environment dramatically raised the standards expected for games. 
December 10, 1993
id released its much-anticipated DOOM. DOOM attained phenomenal success and is still recognized as the hottest 3-D action game of all time. DOOM changed the face of computer gaming forever. Recognized as the catalyst and inspiration of what we know now as 3-D action gaming, an estimated 15 million copies have been downloaded around the world, passed from player to player by floppy disk or online networks.
October 10, 1994
DOOM II: Hell on Earth was released in the U.S. and in Great Britain. DOOM II's initial release was over half-million copies, it continues to set new sales records, having sold over 2 million copies with no end in sight. 
1996
id unleashed QUAKE, the most highly anticipated game since DOOM. QUAKE marked the next quantum leap in game technology and set a new standard in multi-player, true three-dimensional, combat action games.
1997
The furor over QUAKE continued with the release of two QUAKE Mission Packs, QUAKE Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon and QUAKE Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity. 
December 9, 1997
id Software and Activision rocked the continent with the release of the mind-blowing, QUAKE II. Continuing id's legacy of bloody deathmatches, QUAKE II offered wicked multi-player capabilities allowing more than 32 gamers to compete online. Players maneuver through intense environmental hazards and annihilate evil enemies. The game?s improved vivid sound effects intensify distant combat and destruction, while the use of OpenGL 3-D accelerator cards deliver smoother, 16-bit graphics and real time lighting effects. QUAKE II exceeded expectations worldwide and has been hailed by countless reviewers and gamers alike, as the best 3-D shooter game of the year.
1999
The easy-going guys from Mesquite further cemented their place in gaming lore with the ultimate deathmatch experience, QUAKE III Arena and the QUAKE III: Team Arena add-on pack. Designed to be the ultimate multiplayer experience, QUAKE III Arena has become the defacto standard for professional gamers and is the game of choice for tournaments around the world. A QUAKE III Arena tournament is the centerpiece of id's annual QuakeCon tournament and LAN party, played every summer near the company's headquarters in Mesquite. QuakeCon 2001 winners alone pulled in a combined $50,000 in cash and prizes. 
2001
id Software teamed up with Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software to develop Return to Castle Wolfenstein, a re-imagining of the original classic, Wolfenstein 3D. Built around the Quake III Arena graphics engine, Return to Castle Wolfenstein introduced a new generation of gamers to the epic series that started it all. In its first two months of release, Return to Castle Wolfenstein shipped over one million units worldwide, and has been widely acclaimed as the best computer game of 2001.
2002
id Software is currently hard at work creating the next chapter in the DOOM legacy, building a new terrifying adventure based on the storyline of the original masterwork. Featuring a new, mind-blowing gaming engine, the closely guarded DOOM III draws players into the most frightening and gripping 3D gaming experience ever created, and in true id fashion, will be released "when it's done."