What if King's Quest developer Sierra On-Line had purchased id Software before it had a chance to make DOOM? It's a fascinating "what-if" in gaming history, and it might have happened if Sierra founder Ken Williams hadn't balked at the extra $100,000 needed to close the deal.

John Romero, who founded id Software and played a key role in designing DOOM, related the story of Sierra's near-acquisition during a talk earlier today at GDC 2022. In the course of discussing the development of Wolfenstein 3D — which was completed in less than six months — Romero took a detour to recall Sierra's offer to purchase id Software.

According to Romero, id Software came to Sierra's attention after Romero sent Ken and Roberta Williams a copy of one of the studio's Commander Keen games. Ken Williams was impressed and invited the id Software to California to "talk business."

At the time Sierra On-line was a PC development powerhouse, having found great success with the King's Quest series and a host of other releases in the mid-to-late 1980s. Romero recalls being impressed by Sierra's picturesque studio, which had more than 200 developers and was nestled in a town not far from Yosemite National Park. By contrast, id Software had just four employees.

The id Software showed Ken Williams an early version of Wolfenstein 3D, and Romero recalls being "dumbfounded" by his response.

"After about 30 seconds of watching, he wanted to show me the new game they were working on, Red Baron Online," Romero said. "I was dumbfounded. Like, here's the future, the start of a new genre: the first-person shooter. And Ken could not pay it any notice."

Williams, for his part, was reportedly shocked to hear that id Software was making $50,000 per month from its shareware model, which was exploding in popularity in the early 90s. He offered to acquire id Software for $2.5 million in company stock.

Romero says id Software was thrilled by the offer, but decided to ask for an extra $100,000 in cash up front.

"Ken thought about it for a second, then he was like, 'No thanks, but good luck with everything.' So the 100k was a little too rich for him," Romero says.

Wildly diverging destinies

The destinies of Sierra On-Line and id Software diverged wildly after that encounter. Just a few years later, Sierra On-Line was acquired by CUC International, which put it on the path toward collapse and closure. In the meantime, id Software made DOOM, which propelled it into the ranks of the most famous studios ever, later to be acquired by Bethesda and eventually, Xbox.

Had id Software decided to go forward with the deal, it may have met the fate of Red Baron developer Dynamix, which was shuttered amid a restructuring effort in 2001. Either that, or the success of DOOM might have pushed Sierra On-Line away from its fateful acquisition. Either way, gaming history might have been very different.

As it happens, Ken and Roberta Williams recently returned to the games industry after a lengthy hiatus. They are currently working on Colossal Cave 3D — a massive update of the classic 1970s text adventure. As for Romero, he recently made a new level for DOOM 2 with all proceeds aiding refugees from the Ukraine conflict.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Oscar Isaac has given an update on the live-action Metal Gear Solid movie where he’s set to star as Solid Snake.

During the red carpet premiere for the upcoming Disney Plus Marvel series, Moon Knight, IGN asked Isaac if there was any movement on the Metal Gear Solid movie. The Metal Gear Solid movie was announced back in 2020 but has not been heard of since.

“We’re searching, we’re searching like Solid Snake,” Isaac said. “We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story.”

Oscar Isaac, Solid Snake himself, told IGN “We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story [of the Metal Gear Solid movie]." https://t.co/BDe0xdQ2n2 pic.twitter.com/Y7hOJieK0K

— IGN (@IGN) March 23, 2022

Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been attached to direct a Metal Gear Solid movie since as far back as 2015. Vogt-Roberts and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima are close friends, with Vogt-Roberts having appeared in Kojima’s Death Stranding in a cameo. Getting a “Kojima-san version” of the movie is one of Vogt-Roberts’ biggest priorities.

In 2018, during another IGN interview, Oscar Isaac confirmed his interest to play Solid Snake. “Metal Gear Solid, that’s the one… I’m throwing my hat in for that one,” Isaac told IGN while promoting the Netflix film Triple Frontier.

Following the interview, Vogt-Roberts revealed Oscar Isaac was his preferred casting for Solid Snake as well and shared a photoshop of Isaac as the character created by artist BossLogic.

THIS-MUSING-IS-NOT-NEWS-PSA:

To everyone asking how I feel about Oscar Isaac saying he wants to be Solid Snake.

The full process required to cast an icon hasn’t even started, but..

Ask @Bosslogic where the idea for his brilliant mock up came from.

The ball’s in Oscar’s court. pic.twitter.com/DKM1gw0Oc2

— (((Jordan Vogt-Roberts))) (@VogtRoberts) March 4, 2019

The dream was finally real in 2020 when Isaac was cast as Snake in the Metal Gear Solid movie, but it still appears a ways away. With Isaac telling IGN that the Metal Gear Solid team is still looking for a story, the film still sounds like it’s in development.

There hasn’t been a new Metal Gear Solid game since Kojima left Konami in 2015. Since then, Kojima has started a new video game studio, Kojima Productions, and released their first game Death Stranding. Check out IGN’s review of Death Stranding here.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Oscar Isaac has given an update on the live-action Metal Gear Solid movie where he’s set to star as Solid Snake.

During the red carpet premiere for the upcoming Disney Plus Marvel series, Moon Knight, IGN asked Isaac if there was any movement on the Metal Gear Solid movie. The Metal Gear Solid movie was announced back in 2020 but has not been heard of since.

“We’re searching, we’re searching like Solid Snake,” Isaac said. “We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story.”

Oscar Isaac, Solid Snake himself, told IGN “We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story [of the Metal Gear Solid movie]." https://t.co/BDe0xdQ2n2 pic.twitter.com/Y7hOJieK0K

— IGN (@IGN) March 23, 2022

Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been attached to direct a Metal Gear Solid movie since as far back as 2015. Vogt-Roberts and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima are close friends, with Vogt-Roberts having appeared in Kojima’s Death Stranding in a cameo. Getting a “Kojima-san version” of the movie is one of Vogt-Roberts’ biggest priorities.

In 2018, during another IGN interview, Oscar Isaac confirmed his interest to play Solid Snake. “Metal Gear Solid, that’s the one… I’m throwing my hat in for that one,” Isaac told IGN while promoting the Netflix film Triple Frontier.

Following the interview, Vogt-Roberts revealed Oscar Isaac was his preferred casting for Solid Snake as well and shared a photoshop of Isaac as the character created by artist BossLogic.

THIS-MUSING-IS-NOT-NEWS-PSA:

To everyone asking how I feel about Oscar Isaac saying he wants to be Solid Snake.

The full process required to cast an icon hasn’t even started, but..

Ask @Bosslogic where the idea for his brilliant mock up came from.

The ball’s in Oscar’s court. pic.twitter.com/DKM1gw0Oc2

— (((Jordan Vogt-Roberts))) (@VogtRoberts) March 4, 2019

The dream was finally real in 2020 when Isaac was cast as Snake in the Metal Gear Solid movie, but it still appears a ways away. With Isaac telling IGN that the Metal Gear Solid team is still looking for a story, the film still sounds like it’s in development.

There hasn’t been a new Metal Gear Solid game since Kojima left Konami in 2015. Since then, Kojima has started a new video game studio, Kojima Productions, and released their first game Death Stranding. Check out IGN’s review of Death Stranding here.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Pacific Rim: The Black's second and final season is coming to Netflix on April 19.

The streaming service and producer Legendary Television announced the release date today alongside a selection of new images from the new series which you can check out below.

Netflix didn't confirm the number of episodes in season two, though it will likely match the seven in season one which was released in March last year.

It did offer a plot synopsis, however, saying that the story is far from over. "Our brave siblings Taylor and Hayley still hope to reach the safety of Sydney aboard Atlas Destroyer, the scaled-down training Jaeger left behind when Australia was evacuated," it said.

"With teenage assassin Mei and the mysterious human/kaiju hybrid bOy joining Taylor and Hayley, this makeshift family must cross a dangerous territory controlled by the bloodthirsty cult Sisters of the Kaiju.

"These zealots, led by the enigmatic High Priestess, are convinced that bOy is their long-awaited Messiah and will stop at nothing to indoctrinate him into their dark circle – something Hayley would sacrifice everything to prevent."

Despite the Netflix show ending, fans looking for more Pacific Rim can find it in the standalone graphic novel that serves as a prequel to the series.

In our 7/10 review of the first season, IGN said: "Pacific Rim: The Black may take a few episodes to kick in fully, but once you wholly acclimate yourself to these visuals and this tone - which is a bit more emotionally catastrophic (and less popcorn-y) than the films - it's a rewarding continuation, and extrapolation, of the franchise."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Pacific Rim: The Black's second and final season is coming to Netflix on April 19.

The streaming service and producer Legendary Television announced the release date today alongside a selection of new images from the new series which you can check out below.

Netflix didn't confirm the number of episodes in season two, though it will likely match the seven in season one which was released in March last year.

It did offer a plot synopsis, however, saying that the story is far from over. "Our brave siblings Taylor and Hayley still hope to reach the safety of Sydney aboard Atlas Destroyer, the scaled-down training Jaeger left behind when Australia was evacuated," it said.

"With teenage assassin Mei and the mysterious human/kaiju hybrid bOy joining Taylor and Hayley, this makeshift family must cross a dangerous territory controlled by the bloodthirsty cult Sisters of the Kaiju.

"These zealots, led by the enigmatic High Priestess, are convinced that bOy is their long-awaited Messiah and will stop at nothing to indoctrinate him into their dark circle – something Hayley would sacrifice everything to prevent."

Despite the Netflix show ending, fans looking for more Pacific Rim can find it in the standalone graphic novel that serves as a prequel to the series.

In our 7/10 review of the first season, IGN said: "Pacific Rim: The Black may take a few episodes to kick in fully, but once you wholly acclimate yourself to these visuals and this tone - which is a bit more emotionally catastrophic (and less popcorn-y) than the films - it's a rewarding continuation, and extrapolation, of the franchise."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

The previous game's protagonist, Geralt, is from the School of the Wolf, his witcher guild, and the other schools are the Cat, Griffin, Bear, Viper, Manticore, and Crane.

The School of the Lynx is therefore a brand new school that CD Projekt Red is creating for The Witcher 4 (for lack of an official name). This isn't particularly unusual in itself, as Andrzej Sapkowski's original book series only feature the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin schools, and CD Projekt has previously invented others.

While there's no official School of the Lynx in the books or games, a popular Witcher fan fiction features the guild in a story based on other existing Witcher characters Lambert and Keira Metz. There's no word on whether CD Projekt Red was influenced by any of these stories though, meaning the announcement of a brand new school essentially sends theorists back to step one.

The internet was sent into a frenzy when CD Projekt Red made the game announcement on March 21, with fans left debating whether Ciri might be the main character of the new game. The School of the Lynx confirmation doesn't dispel this idea, as while Ciri already wears a School of the Cat medallion one could, for obvious reasons, lead to the other.

Another theory, on the other hand, is now less likely. The teased medallion looked a like fan favourite character, Vesemir's medallion from Netflix's Witcher anime film: Nightmare of the Wolf, but now that it's confirmed not to be a wolf, there's little to suggest the new game will involve Vesemir, especially as he died during the course of the last game.

The new Witcher game was teased just a few hours after a fan potentially found The Witcher 3's final secret, but CD Projekt Red didn't say much else except that the game will run in Unreal Engine 5.

It's director, Jason Slama, commented that he won't allow crunch under his watch, addressing concerns that staff would be forced to work under tough conditions as they did with Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt Red last released a mainline Witcher game with Wild Hunt's release in 2015, but has since released Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker, and Gwent. IGN recently gave The Witcher 3 a top spot on our best open world games of all time and in our 9/10 review said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

The previous game's protagonist, Geralt, is from the School of the Wolf, his witcher guild, and the other schools are the Cat, Griffin, Bear, Viper, Manticore, and Crane.

The School of the Lynx is therefore a brand new school that CD Projekt Red is creating for The Witcher 4 (for lack of an official name). This isn't particularly unusual in itself, as Andrzej Sapkowski's original book series only feature the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin schools, and CD Projekt has previously invented others.

While there's no official School of the Lynx in the books or games, a popular Witcher fan fiction features the guild in a story based on other existing Witcher characters Lambert and Keira Metz. There's no word on whether CD Projekt Red was influenced by any of these stories though, meaning the announcement of a brand new school essentially sends theorists back to step one.

The internet was sent into a frenzy when CD Projekt Red made the game announcement on March 21, with fans left debating whether Ciri might be the main character of the new game. The School of the Lynx confirmation doesn't dispel this idea, as while Ciri already wears a School of the Cat medallion one could, for obvious reasons, lead to the other.

Another theory, on the other hand, is now less likely. The teased medallion looked a like fan favourite character, Vesemir's medallion from Netflix's Witcher anime film: Nightmare of the Wolf, but now that it's confirmed not to be a wolf, there's little to suggest the new game will involve Vesemir, especially as he died during the course of the last game.

The new Witcher game was teased just a few hours after a fan potentially found The Witcher 3's final secret, but CD Projekt Red didn't say much else except that the game will run in Unreal Engine 5.

It's director, Jason Slama, commented that he won't allow crunch under his watch, addressing concerns that staff would be forced to work under tough conditions as they did with Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt Red last released a mainline Witcher game with Wild Hunt's release in 2015, but has since released Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker, and Gwent. IGN recently gave The Witcher 3 a top spot on our best open world games of all time and in our 9/10 review said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

The NFL has announced a VR football game set to release each year for Meta Quest and PlayStation VR.

The annual franchise is being made in partnership with StatusPRO, a sports technology company whose virtual and augmented reality products are used by actual NFL teams.

Unlike current football VR games such as 2MD: VR Football and The Patrick Mahomes Experience, which are more arcade than simulation, this new, fully licensed game promises a realistic experience that makes players feel like a professional NFL player.

Troy Jones, co-founder and CEO of StatusPRO said: "By partnering with the NFL, we will offer a new form of engagement between athletes and fans unlike anything in the marketplace. NFL football fans and gamers alike will be able to connect with the world of sports through authentic, immersive gaming products that democratize the experience of the professional athlete."

StatusPRO's other co-founder and president, Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins, added: "We keep the athlete first in everything we do, and as former football players it means even more to be able to recreate what it actually feels like to step out on the field. Through our proprietary technology at StatusPRO, we can deliver an immersive experience that helps NFL fans transform into pro athletes."

No release date or gameplay was revealed with the announcement, but considering that the NFL and StatusPRO didn't even real the game's name, it is likely a long way away.

Sony recently revealed what the PlayStation VR2 looks like, saying it was designed to make users almost forget they're using a headset. The Meta Quest, on the other hand, is likely better known by its previous title, the Oculus Quest, though its name was changed when Facebook initiated its rebrand last October.

The NFL and StatusPRO said this new VR game would compliment the current NFL experiences available on the market, such as EA's Madden NFL franchise.

In our review of the latest iteration, IGN said: "Madden NFL 22 takes a small and unimpressive first step into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, with even its better new ideas hobbled by poor execution."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The NFL has announced a VR football game set to release each year for Meta Quest and PlayStation VR.

The annual franchise is being made in partnership with StatusPRO, a sports technology company whose virtual and augmented reality products are used by actual NFL teams.

Unlike current football VR games such as 2MD: VR Football and The Patrick Mahomes Experience, which are more arcade than simulation, this new, fully licensed game promises a realistic experience that makes players feel like a professional NFL player.

Troy Jones, co-founder and CEO of StatusPRO said: "By partnering with the NFL, we will offer a new form of engagement between athletes and fans unlike anything in the marketplace. NFL football fans and gamers alike will be able to connect with the world of sports through authentic, immersive gaming products that democratize the experience of the professional athlete."

StatusPRO's other co-founder and president, Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins, added: "We keep the athlete first in everything we do, and as former football players it means even more to be able to recreate what it actually feels like to step out on the field. Through our proprietary technology at StatusPRO, we can deliver an immersive experience that helps NFL fans transform into pro athletes."

No release date or gameplay was revealed with the announcement, but considering that the NFL and StatusPRO didn't even real the game's name, it is likely a long way away.

Sony recently revealed what the PlayStation VR2 looks like, saying it was designed to make users almost forget they're using a headset. The Meta Quest, on the other hand, is likely better known by its previous title, the Oculus Quest, though its name was changed when Facebook initiated its rebrand last October.

The NFL and StatusPRO said this new VR game would compliment the current NFL experiences available on the market, such as EA's Madden NFL franchise.

In our review of the latest iteration, IGN said: "Madden NFL 22 takes a small and unimpressive first step into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, with even its better new ideas hobbled by poor execution."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Years of potential Apex Legends content including nine new heroes has seemingly been leaked online.

As reported by Charlie INTEL, an anonymous Reddit user published a now-deleted file of Apex Legends content that included gameplay footage detailing a number of previously unseen heroes.

As publisher EA has yet to reveal or confirm any of the supposed leaks, all of the new characters and abilities must be taken with a pinch of salt, but Apex Legends does have an infamous leaking issue with dataminers often revealing new content ahead of official sources.

The 15 leaked videos showed off new maps for arena mode, weapons (including something called the Nemesis B-AR and the Fanatic energy pistol), and cosmetics, alongside actual gameplay of the new Legends in action. Those new playable characters have names and are listed as Caliber, Catalyst, Conduit, Jester, Newcastle, Phantom, Scryer, Uplink, and Vantage.

The new Legends can be seen in the roster screenshot (above) and all seem to have a full set of abilities. Newcastle was featured extensively in one video, who's described as a mobile defender that can create cover and revive teammates.

The footage even outlines his abilities: Retrieve the Wounded, which lets the player drag downed allies while you revive and protect them with a shield, Mobile Shield, a throwable drone that creates a moving energy shield, and his ultimate ability Castle Wall, where Newcastle leaps in the air, slamming down to create a fortified stronghold.

IGN has reached out to EA for comment on the supposed leaks but has not yet responded.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Apex Legends' mix of exciting characters, excellent gunplay, and unmatched FPS movement keep it a consistently fresh thrill."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.