An Id Software project codenamed Project 2021B has been rated by the Australian Classification Board, and naturally, fans of the studio have all sorts of theories about what it could be.
You can check out the listing here, but there isn't a whole lot to parse through there. Project 2021B is rated M for "violence" and "online interactivity," which is pretty much just modern-day Id Software in a nutshell. It's listed as a multiplatform "computer game," and it's being published by Zenimax Europe.
Curiously, its code name is very similar to Project 2021A, another Id Software game rated by the same board back in January which ended up being Doom 3 on PSVR. On the surface, that seems to suggest the new Project 2021B is something else Doom-related, but in actuality, Id Software could just use a similar template for codenaming its various projects.
There are a couple of key differences between the two ratings. Notably, Doom 3 VR is rated R18+ for "high impact violence," which is two whole levels higher than Project 2021B's Mature rating. It's also, obviously, a VR game, while Project 2021B is listed as multiplatform. In summary, whatever Project 2021B is, it appears its violence isn't as "high impact" as Doom 3 VR, and it probably isn't a VR game.
On to the theories, of which Resetera and Twitter users have a combined few. Some folks are keen to note that the 25th anniversary of Quake 2 is coming next year, which could mean Id Software is working on a remaster, a collection of ports for new-gen hardware, or something else Quake-related. With QuakeCon 2021 happening in August, the mysterious Project 2021B could be unmasked relatively soon.
Or, since it does share a similar codename to Project 2021A, it could be another Doom port, maybe of the OG games considering the lack of "high impact violence." Or maybe, just maybe, as fans are speculating, Id Software could throw us a wild card and reveal a new game from one of its other series, like Rage, Wolfenstein, or Commander Keen. Only time will tell.
Until we know for sure what Id Software's up to, check out our guide to all the (confirmed) new games of 2021.
