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The legendary legacies of Doom and Wolfenstein 3D might never have materialized if a developer hadn’t nearly toppled from his chair while playing the studio’s modest seller, Catacomb 3-D.
Although Wolfenstein 3D is frequently cited as the catalyst for the FPS genre before Doom propelled it to global stardom, neither title represented id Software’s initial experimentation with the format. That honor goes to the vehicular shooter Hovertank 3D, which preceded Catacomb 3-D—the team’s first attempt at a character-driven first-person experience.
Despite their eventual status as genre-defining icons, these projects could have been scrapped had the studio prioritized immediate financial stability. At the time, Catacomb 3-D generated a mere $5,000—roughly a tenth of the revenue brought in by the studio’s 2D platforming hit, Commander Keen. However, a visceral reaction from Adrian Carmack changed the course of history.
John Carmack recalls a pivotal moment in John Romero’s documentary on the creation of Catacomb 3-D. “One of my fondest memories was Adrian almost falling out of his seat when he turned around and came face-to-face with a troll,” he noted. While it seemed like a humorous anecdote, the event held profound significance for the team’s creative direction.
“This is where we realized we were onto something,” John Carmack elaborated. “This was the future of gaming. Beyond just watching tiny sprites move on a screen, there was a genuine sense of shock and immersion. That was the moment I knew this new style of play was the path forward.”
Adrian Carmack echoed this sentiment, noting that the visual immersion was impossible to ignore. “It sucked you in. It was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen in a game. We knew we had stumbled upon a completely new genre.”
Even though Catacomb wasn’t an immediate commercial powerhouse, the vision was clear. Romero remembers a late-night discussion where the team agreed that Catacomb 3-D was merely the tip of the iceberg for 3D gaming. “Within an hour, we had decided what our next project would be: Wolfenstein 3D, the true grandfather of the first-person shooter.”
Source: gamesradar.com
