Adrian Carmack

{{Short description|American video game artist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Adrian Carmack

| image =

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|5|5}}

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| nationality = American

| occupation = Video game artist

| known_for = Co-founder of id Software

| spouse =

}}

Adrian Carmack (born May 5, 1969) is an American video game artist and one of four co-founders of id Software, along with Tom Hall, John Romero, and John Carmack (no relation). The founders met while working at Softdisk{{'}}s Gamer's Edge division and started id in 1991.{{cite book |last=Kushner |first=David |date=2003 |title=Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture |location=New York |publisher=Random House |page=77 |isbn=0-375-50524-5}} Adrian Carmack's primary role at the company was as an artist, including work on Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, Quake, Quake II and Quake III Arena.{{cite web |url=https://www.choicestgames.com/2015/02/where-are-they-now-adrian-carmack.html |title=Where are they now? - Adrian Carmack |last=Goninon |first=Mark |date=February 11, 2015 |website=Choicest Games |access-date=July 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704212821/https://www.choicestgames.com/2015/02/where-are-they-now-adrian-carmack.html |archive-date=July 4, 2018}} He is credited as the creator of Doom's grotesque, gory art style as well as the term "gibs".{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/12/10/we-play-doom-with-john-romero |title=We Play Doom with John Romero |date=December 30, 2013 |website=IGN |access-date=June 2, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715140120/http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/12/10/we-play-doom-with-john-romero |archive-date=July 15, 2015}}

He was a 41% owner of ID until he left the company in 2005. At the time the press was told he felt he had done all he could do in the gaming field and was planning to pursue his passions of art. However, in September 2005, The Wall Street Journal revealed he was taking his former business partners to court, claiming he was effectively fired by them in an attempt to force him to sell his 41% stake in the company for $11 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=11000000|start_year=2005}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) under the terms of a contract he wants the court to nullify. $11 million is thought to be a fraction of the true value of his stake, which is thought to be closer to $43 million after the company received a $105 million bid from Activision in 2004.{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news280905carmacksues |title=[Adrian] Carmack Sues id Software |date=September 28, 2005 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=June 2, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103528/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news280905carmacksues |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}

In September 2014, Carmack was revealed as the new owner of the five-star Heritage Golf & Spa Resort in Killenard, Ireland.{{cite news |last=Lyons |first=Tom |date=September 23, 2014 |title='Doom' game creator buys Heritage resort |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/doom-game-creator-buys-heritage-resort-1.1938040 |work=The Irish Times |access-date=December 18, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222084148/http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/doom-game-creator-buys-heritage-resort-1.1938040 |archive-date=December 22, 2015}}

In April 2016, it was reported that Carmack had reunited with Romero under a new Galway, Ireland-based start-up, The Night Work Games, to produce a new video game, Blackroom, for which they had launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/john-romero-adrian-carmack-announce-new-video-game-and-not-much-else/ |title=John Romero, Adrian Carmack announce new video game and not much else |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=April 25, 2016 |website=Ars Technica |access-date=April 25, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426003338/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/john-romero-adrian-carmack-announce-new-video-game-and-not-much-else/ |archive-date=April 26, 2016}} The game has been described as "a return to fast, violent and masterful play on the PC". Later the campaign was put on hold to allow Carmack and Romero time to complete a working demo of the game.{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/romero-blackroom-kickstarter-cancel-demo/ |title=Romero's Blackroom Kickstarter Cancelled, Demo in Development |last=Fields |first=Sarah |date=April 30, 2016 |website=Game Rant |access-date=January 10, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111110245/https://gamerant.com/romero-blackroom-kickstarter-cancel-demo/ |archive-date=January 11, 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/life-after-doom-estranged-creators-of-era-defining-game-speak-64115/ |title=Life After 'Doom': Creators of Era-Defining Game Speak |last=Glixel |first=David Kushner |date=May 27, 2016 |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=July 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213113/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/life-after-doom-estranged-creators-of-era-defining-game-speak-64115/ |archive-date=July 4, 2018}} According to the two developers, their decision was based on players' feedback regarding the playability of the demo. The company behind Blackroom, Night Work Games, was seeking $700,000 to fund the development of the game. Before being put on hold, the campaign had raised $131,052 from its supporters.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/4/29/11536508/blackroom-kickstarter-canceled-john-romero-adrian-carmack-new-fps |title=Romero and Carmack pull their Kickstarter campaign for new FPS Blackroom |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=April 29, 2016 |website=Polygon |access-date=June 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626150538/https://www.polygon.com/2016/4/29/11536508/blackroom-kickstarter-canceled-john-romero-adrian-carmack-new-fps |archive-date=June 26, 2019}}