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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsJohn Carmack and John Romero’s public conversations about Doom have made the story of their split more complicated than a simple feud. Romero has said they remained friends and cared about each other; Carmack has spoken with pride about the games they made. Their reunions, however, have been retrospectives—not an announcement that they are making a new game together.
Are John Carmack and John Romero still friends?
Romero’s 2023 memoir, Doom Guy: Life in First Person, pushed back against what he saw as an overly dramatic account of the pair’s separation. “The truth is that Carmack and I were friends, and we cared about each other, and we still do,” he wrote. He also objected to a story told in polarizing terms, with “animosity” casting one man against the other. PC Gamer’s preview of the memoir also quoted Brenda Romero, who said the two had remained friends and respected each other’s work.
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That is Romero’s account of their relationship, not proof that their professional split involved no conflict. It does, however, differ from the clean feud often implied by the word “breakup.” Publicly, the two have since appeared together to discuss their shared work.
Why did John Romero leave id Software?
The available accounts do not establish one uncontested explanation for Romero’s departure. The public framing of the split has often emphasized animosity, while Romero’s memoir emphasizes the friendship that endured alongside the end of their work together. Those points can coexist: a partnership can end amid professional disagreements without erasing personal regard.
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For a broader account of id Software’s early years, David Kushner’s Masters of Doom offers another published history. It should be read as a separate account, rather than as a definitive answer to every private disagreement between the founders.
What happened at the 2023 Doom reunion?
On December 10, 2023, Carmack and Romero joined a livestream marking Doom’s 30th anniversary, moderated by video-game historian David Craddock. It was a discussion of the game and its development, not a reunion of a development team. PC Gamer’s event recap describes conversation about Doom’s design, technical constraints, multiplayer, and lasting legacy.
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They revisited both the craft and the compromises
The discussion was not only celebratory. Carmack reflected on graphical effects he wished Doom had included, while Romero described the game as occupying a technical “sweet spot” before the move to full 3D made development more complicated. They also discussed the constraints and choices behind the game’s maps, enemies, and multiplayer.
Carmack said he was proud of what they had built and of its lasting legacy. Romero thanked the Doom community for keeping the game alive. Their comments frame Doom’s durability as both a creative achievement and something sustained by the people who continued to play it.
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Did Carmack and Romero make up—and are they making a new Doom game?
Their public cordiality and shared appearance are consistent with Romero’s account that they remained friends. But neither the livestream nor the memoir amounts to a claim that every disagreement was resolved in private. And there was no new game announcement: in a July 2023 statement reported by PC Gamer, Carmack said, “To preempt the inevitable question, no, we aren’t planning to make a new game together.” That was the reported position at the time, not a guarantee about every future possibility.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changed at the 2026 QuakeCon reunion?
In 2026, Carmack and Romero reunited with the other two id Software founders, Adrian Carmack and Tom Hall, for a three-hour QuakeCon retrospective. As GamesBeat reported, the panel traced the studio’s history from Softdisk through Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. It broadened the story beyond the two Johns and their work on Doom.
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The panel was a look back at the founders’ shared history, not a comprehensive reckoning with the end of their partnership. GamesBeat noted that the conversation largely focused on successes and did not dwell on the dissolution. Carmack described the rare pleasure of seeing work extended, revisited, and kept alive in people’s memories.
In the same QuakeCon period, Carmack reportedly tried an Evercade Doom port and reflected that the game remained enjoyable; Romero, meanwhile, continued working on Doom expansions. Those details underscore the continuing life of the game, but they do not imply a joint project between the two men.
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