Doom (1993 video game)
Because id planned to self-publish the game, as the game neared completion they had to set up the systems to sell the game. Jay Wilbur, who had been brought on as CEO and sole member of the business team, planned the marketing and distribution of "Doom". He felt that the mainstream press was uninterested in the game, and as id would make the most money off of copies they sold directly to customers—up to 85 percent of the planned US$40 price—he decided to leverage the shareware market as much as possible, buying only a single ad in any gaming magazine. Instead, he reached out directly to software retailers, offering them copies of the first "Doom" episode for free, allowing them to charge any price for it, in order to spur customer interest in buying the full game directly from id.
Tim Willits
Willits has stated in numerous interviews that he was inspired to make video games when he downloaded a shareware version of "Doom". He played the first room of Level 1, thinking that was the entire demo, then, discovering a door that led the player to the other rooms. It was that moment when the door opened, Willits was transported into making video games. Willits required assistance with developing doors in future levels and games. He joined id Software in 1995 after impressing the owners and development team with Doom levels he forged in his spare time and distributed free over the Internet. Willits has worked on "Strife", "The Ultimate Doom", "Quake", "Quake II", "Quake III Arena", "" and "Doom 3".