Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media has this afternoon made a surprise move and bought id Software.

The creator of franchises such as Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein will now come under the firm's ownership along with its upcoming game Rage.

Bethesda will publish all of id's games going forward - except for those already signed, such as Wolfenstein (for Activision) and an unnamed game being made for EA.

id was founded in 1991 and is famed for being an industry leader in graphics and content for PCs.

The studio will continue to be run under the direction of its founder and technical director John Carmack, the two said in a statement: "No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games. All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles developing games at the studio."

Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, added: “This was a unique opportunity to team with a smart, sophisticated publisher like Bethesda Softworks where the interests of the studio and the publisher will be fully aligned in the development and marketing of our titles. In addition, we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans.”

Carmack himself said: “This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward. We will now be able to grow and extend all of our franchises under one roof, leveraging our capabilities across multiple teams while enabling forward looking research to be done in the service of all of them. We will be bigger and stronger, as we recruit the best talent to help us build the landmark games of the future. As trite as it may be for me to say that I am extremely pleased and excited about this deal, I am."

Robert Altman, the founder, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax Media also offered: “We, along with many others, consider id Software to be among the finest game studios in the world, with extraordinary design, artistic and technical capabilities. They have demonstrated, repeatedly, that rare ability to create franchise properties that are critical and commercial successes. Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games. Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand.”