He's definitely on board for one more title, but Carmack's future as a video game programmer is growing increasingly hazy.

"I wouldn't hazard to look too far ahead," he said. "I'm definitely going to see through this round of rendering work. I wouldn't make any promises beyond that."

Should he decide to move on from building game engines, it would undoubtedly bring about cries of anguish from the gaming world. His groundbreaking work on such seminal titles as "Doom" and "Quake" has elevated Carmack to celebrity status amongst gamers - and a position of respect amongst peers.