Doom was first released in 1993 by id Software.
The game launched as shareware on December 10, 1993, with its first episode distributed for free and additional episodes sold commercially. John Carmack led the programming, while John Romero, Sandy Petersen, Adrian Carmack, and other team members contributed design, art, and production work.
Doom popularized fast, immersive first-person shooting with network multiplayer, modifiable content, and a dark science-fiction setting. It is often called a first-person shooter even though that genre label became common later. Doom also helped popularize the mistaken term “Doom clone” for similar games, while its shareware distribution demonstrated how software could spread through computer networks and bulletin-board systems.