The creator of classic computer game "Doom" id Software, unveiled its eagerly anticipated next game, "Rage" in which players fight an oppressive government in a post-apocalyptic world.

The new game will be released for computers running either Microsoft Corp’s Windows or Apple Inc’s Macintosh operating system, as well as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 video game consoles.

"It’s a bit of a classic story and you are the outsider who comes in and tries to turn the tide in favor of good," id Chief Executive Todd Hollenshead said in an interview.

"Rage" is being built with all-new graphics technology designed by id co-founder John Carmack, who showed off the game at id’s annual "QuakeCon" event in Dallas, Texas.

Privately held id did not give a release date for "Rage" or the name of the publisher. Activision Inc, the second-biggest U.S. video game publisher, handles other id games such as "Doom 3" and the upcoming "Enemy Territories: Quake Wars."


Since the breakaway success of "Doom" in 1993 established the "first-person shooter" as a major gaming genre, id’s games have been characterized by fast-and-furious gunplay and claustrophobic environments.

"Rage" will represent somewhat of a stylistic break by letting players roam expansive outdoor areas.

"In addition to the shooting elements and killing bad guys with cool guns (everyone knows we can do that well) we wanted to show off some stuff that would surprise people," Hollenshead said.

The graphics technology, or engine, underpinning "Rage" is also important since id makes one of a handful of such software packages that are licensed by other game makers.

Hollenshead said the new "tech5" engine would make it easier for developers to design games that are better looking and can be easily modified to run on different gaming systems, a process that normally takes months and pushes up costs.

"It allows a single studio team to make four versions of our game without outside help," Hollenshead said. "You can have massive outdoor environments and make them look glorious down to pixel level without any performance issues."

© Reuters 2007 - All rights reserved.