id Software, the creator of Doom, has decided not to renew its membership with the Entertainment Software Association in America.

The news was confirmed by the ESA's senior VP of communications and research Rich Taylor, who said, "We can confirm that id Software has decided not to renew its membership in the ESA. We admire their creativity and innovation. We also respect their decision."

id Software has not commented on its departure from the ESA.

This follows departures from the ESA by Activision, Vivendi and LucasArts. Rumour has it that lack of leadership from the ESA's president, Mike Gallagher, may be to blame - at this point there is nothing to verify the whispering, however.

The common thread in the departures appears to be Activision. Vivendi is soon to merge with the publisher, while it distributes LucasArts titles in Europe and has published id Software titles. It could be that the company is spearheading the establishment of a rival body.

The ESA is now down to 24 members from 28 just a few weeks ago.

^{Source: Game Politics}