Guess who made a long-awaited comeback at QuakeCon after a whole ten years? None other than John Carmack, the co-founder of id Software. And you know what? He was absolutely stoked about it, saying he’s “so happy that everything is cool now and I am welcome.”

Remember the guy who gave us those classic games like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake? Yeah, that’s Carmack. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He had his fair share of legal battles with his old work buddies after he left in 2013.

Back in the day, he waved goodbye to id Software to hop onto the Oculus VR train. His reason? Zenimax Media, the big shots behind Bethesda, wouldn’t give him the thumbs-up to put the games he was working on into their virtual reality headset.

But that’s not where the story ends. Carmack found himself right in the middle of a showdown between Zenimax and Facebook, the parent company of Oculus. Zenimax was crying foul, saying Facebook nicked their virtual reality intellectual property.

Guess what? The jury decided Carmack wasn’t the bad guy here. In 2017, Carmack said, “Hold up, Zenimax, you owe me about US$22 million from when you bought id Software.” Then, in the following year, they kissed and made up with an agreement that took care of Carmack’s dues.

Fast forward to the recent QuakeCon, Carmack took to Twitter saying, “Hey, it’s my first QuakeCon in ten years! Pretty hyped that things are chill now and I’m part of the gang again.” He wasn’t sure what to expect with the whole post-COVID scene and no general admission but turns out the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) area was buzzing, and the vibes were off the charts even on day 3.

His usual Oculus Connect gig would have him just chatting away with whoever approached him, forming a crowd around some impromptu lecture. But this time, the QuakeCon crew had things organized like a pro. Picture this: a neat queue line, quick photos, and autographs. Way to go, team!

He was pretty pumped about meeting the fresh faces in the id Software squad. Carmack even sent them good vibes to carry on the legacy. Oh, and there was some eSports action too. They caught the final rounds of the Quake Champions Pro League tournament.

It was great to meet some of the new devs in the Id Software family — I wish you all the best carrying on the legacy!

We also got to watch the final two matches in the Quake Champions Pro League tournament, with an exciting last minute victory for @liquidrapha pic.twitter.com/b26iL8OJw7

— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) August 13, 2023

Flashback to 2020, when Carmack gave a nod of approval to Microsoft snatching up Zenimax, id Software’s parent company. He was all like, “Microsoft’s cool, they know how to treat gaming IPs. And guess what? They don’t hold a grudge against me. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get to dive back into some of my old projects.”

But hey, things change, right? Last year, Carmack waved goodbye to Meta, the folks behind Oculus. He said, “That’s it, my ten-year VR journey has come to an end.” Who knows what the future holds for the gaming legend? We’ll be watching!