McGee was fired from id Software in 1998, but it all worked out pretty well for him. Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. American McGee's Alice wasn't a big hit, but it has proven to be one of those enduring cult classics: 26 years after its release, there's still demand for a new one. In a recent post on X, McGee shared some insights into one of the inspirations for that game—which was also his first real signal that his days at id Software were numbered. McGee got his start at id, first in tech support and then as a level designer for games including Doom, Quake, and Quake 2. "There was this one time at id Software when we were working on Quake 2 and everyone piled into Paul Steed's office to check out what Valve was doing was our tech," McGee wrote in response to a post featuring a gameplay clip of American McGee's Alice. "And there was a cinematic scene with characters moving around while a crane operating and multiple cameras panning around to convey some element of the narrative. Proper cinematic storytelling using the Quake engine!" Reacting to the scene, McGee says he "let out a breathless 'WOW'," and reacting to that, "the whole room turned around and scowled at me."