id Software has confirmed to Gamasutra that the prominent independent Texas developer has become the fourth major gaming company to leave the ranks of the ESA - official reasoning for the departures has yet to surface. [UPDATE: ESA comments added.]
The ESA as well as prominent independent developer id Software have confirmed to Gamasutra that id has revoked its membership in the Entertainment Software Association trade group. The company declined to elaborate on the move. The Mesquite, Texas-based creator of Doom and Quake is now the fourth major recent departure from the ESA's ranks of developers and publishers, following Activision, Vivendi, and LucasArts. So far, companies have declined to give publicly stated reasoning for their decisions to leave. The ESA seeks to serve as the public face for the games industry, providing guidance for member companies and organizing events such as the annual E3 Expo. Some companies rescinding their ESA membership have pulled out of this year's E3, while others have not. [UPDATE: In a statement, ESA senior VP Rich Taylor said, "We can confirm that id Software has decided not to renew its membership in the ESA. We admire their creativity and innovation. We also respect their decision."]
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