John Romero: A Game Designer’s Rise, Setbacks, and Legacy

It was announced that John Romero’s autobiographical book would be adapted into two films simultaneously: a documentary and a fictional feature. The revelations from the developer behind Wolfenstein 3D and Quake invite a closer look at the life of one of gaming’s most influential figures, highlighting the most notable moments of his journey.

Who is John Romero

Romero’s peak fame came in the 1990s, a time when many modern players may not know his name. He, along with John Carmack and the team at id Software, helped shape the core mechanics of the first-person shooter genre as we know it, starting with the groundbreaking Wolfenstein 3D. The early Doom titles then propelled the genre to new heights, catapulting it into mainstream popularity. In 1996, the industry saw a fully 3D experience with Earthquake, marking another milestone in the evolution of shooter design.

Romero (left) and Carmack (right) during their time at id Software

After leaving id Software, Romero founded Ion Storm. His next shooter, Daikatana, did not meet expectations, but he continued to contribute to various projects over the years, including a well-regarded strategy game about organized crime, Kingdom of Sin. These endeavors, however, did not achieve the same public recognition as his early classics.

Do you know the name John Romero?

Romero has been playing since childhood

Today, many young players grow up with strict parental boundaries around gaming. In the 1980s, the landscape was quite different. A young John faced restrictions on spending and on finishing arcade games. An incident where his head was pressed to the screen and nearly damaged by his stepfather underscored the tense climate around his early interests. Even as a future game creator, he faced discipline as a soldier and an admirer of competitive play, which shaped his early experiences with games.

In the 80s, arcade machines dominated the scene

I began programming as a teen

Curiously, it was a stepfather who introduced the young Romero to the computing tools then used for military purposes. He already absorbed programming theory from books but lacked practical experience. A part-time job offered by relatives of his mother’s second husband provided his first earnings in the field.

John still enjoys games. He regularly revisits the latest Doom mods and even creates new maps in the editor

Wolfenstein 3D was conceived as a stealth action game

Id Software acquired the rights to Wolfenstein for a modest sum of $5,000. The team embraced the idea of a sequel set in a pseudo-3D world, emphasizing secret passages and concealed corpses to avoid alarms. Yet the engine strain and the realization that stealth play was less exciting led Romero and the team to pivot toward a pure shooter experience in Wolfenstein 3D.

Experimentation with first-person shooters began even before Wolfenstein 3D, but the title showcased the genre’s defining traits

I wanted Doom to feel like a truly cool game

Carmack developed era-defining technologies, while Romero mapped them into immersive environments. He crafted the distinctive, handcrafted level design of the early Doom chapters, creating layouts meant to surprise players and sustain energy throughout the game. The soundtrack leaned into heavy metal, matching the game’s relentless pace and demon-slaying action.

Romero’s collaboration on the Doom cover posed a challenge: explaining the pose of the main character to a model. Eventually, he took charge and shot the reference photo himself, which became the iconic artwork for the game’s cover.

The artist on the Doom cover was Romero himself

He introduced the concept of Deathmatch and spent countless hours refining it in real time

Deathmatch, a groundbreaking multiplayer format, reshaped competitive play. Romero and teammates burned the midnight oil on multiplayer maps to balance gameplay and address early flaws. Some observers doubted the seriousness of their work, while Carmack believed it remained a hobby until the team refined the online experience during normal hours. Doom 2 even featured an Easter egg showing Romero’s head impaled, a surprise he discovered during a later playtest.

During Doom 2 there was a cheeky Easter egg featuring Romero’s likeness

Quake aimed to be a fantasy RPG, not just a shooter

Id Software’s leaders explored RPG concepts after playing Dungeons & Dragons, envisioning a game where the hero battles monsters in a rich fantasy setting. The central foe would be a mighty warrior named Quake. However, the engine’s development stretched longer than expected. While Carmack wrote code, others repeated levels to align with the evolving engine until a full RPG world proved impractical. The team decided to release another first-person shooter instead.

Although Quake started as an RPG concept, it evolved into a first-person shooter with strong fantasy elements drawn from Lovecraftian lore

This shift disappointed Romero, who had hoped to realize an RPG vision. He eventually left the studio, while Carmack chose to move forward without him. Years later, both Johns acknowledged the misstep, but the collaboration and rivalry left a lasting imprint on the studio’s dynamics.

Ion Storm’s lavish office and the role of publishers

After founding Ion Storm, Romero lived the high-life publicly: interviews, luxury cars, and a management style that reflected his fame. The studio’s penthouse location and marble floors echoed the era’s bravado. Yet the publisher’s influence, in this case Eidos, colored perceptions of the studio’s choices, including its lavish workspace, at a time when Romero remained a central but controversial figure in the industry.

An opulent Ion Storm office space, noted for its marble floors

It wasn’t Romero’s idea to christen players as dolls

During the mid-1990s, Romero’s presence loomed large at industry events. A PR decision tied to Daikatana briefly used a provocative tagline that linked Romero to fan enthusiasm. Although the idea came from a PR partner, Romero eventually distanced himself from the phrasing, acknowledging it didn’t suit the game’s quality and overall reception.

The controversial slogan associated with Daikatana

Daikatana, Ion Storm’s closure, and accountability

Daikatana remains a cautionary tale in the industry: a costly project that stretched over years, switched engines, and shipped with issues that hampered its impact. The experience underscored the challenges of managing ambitious visions. In subsequent years, other projects and patches addressed some flaws, but the initial reception lingered as a reminder of what can happen when expectations outpace execution.

Romero acknowledged the heavy toll of Daikatana on his team and studio

Romero later expressed openness to consulting on a modern Daikatana remake without shouldering direct responsibility for the project. The tensions within Ion Storm and the leadership shifts ultimately led to the studio’s closure in 2001, marking a turning point in Romero’s career.

Romero did not oversee the third Doom installment entirely. When asked to sign a game box, he candidly stated that he had not contributed to that version.

Romero’s proudest contribution: Deus Ex

With Ion Storm’s Austin expansion, Romero recruited Warren Spector, famous for System Shock, Thief, and later Deus Ex. The collaboration delivered a landmark hybrid of shooter and RPG that rightfully earned a place among cyberpunk’s notable works. The game’s ambition reflected Romero’s enduring influence on game design, even as his personal outlook evolved over time.

Warren Spector, known for System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex

In his book, Romero reflects on health challenges that affected his clarity of vision and acknowledges the mixed path of projects, yet he celebrates Deus Ex as a high point in his career. The title’s impact extended beyond its release, shaping discussions about open-world design and player agency for years to come.

Cover of the Russian edition of Romero9s autobiography

The most vivid moments presented here only scratch the surface of John Romero’s life. Those seeking a fuller portrait should read his autobiography, written in a lively, engaging voice that makes the read feel immediate and enjoyable from start to finish.

Would you watch films about Romero’s life or explore the fates of other developers? Share thoughts in the comments below.

Your favorite John Romero game

Source: VG Times