Zenimax accuses John Carmack of stealing tech to create Oculus Rift

The parent company behind Bethesda Softworks and Id Software, Zenimax Media, has taken legal action against Id Software founder and former employee John Carmack, Oculus VR and its parent, Facebook. Zenimax alleges that Carmack developed technology at Id that would later become a part of the Oculus Rift headset. Oculus has issued a statement, saying that “when there’s this type of transaction, people come out of the woodwork with ridiculous and absurd claims.” 

Zenimax Media, the parent company of both Bethesda Softworks and Id Software, has sent legal letters to Oculus and its new parent Facebook alleging that storied Doom programmer John Carmack aided in the development and creation of Oculus Rift technology while he was still with Zenimax, giving the company claim to at least part of the headset’s intellectual property. As reported this morning by the Wall Street Journal, Zenimax alleges that technology Carmack developed while he was still at Zenimax was the genesis of what would eventually become the Oculus Rift development kit. Zenimax traces this technological relationship back to E3 2012, where Carmackshowed a very early “ski goggle” Rift prototype at the Zenimax booth to great acclaim from industry and press.