With Microsoft's plan to cut 3,200 employees at Xbox still looming over the industry as a whole and affecting various studios, id Software lead services programmer Chris Hayes says developers are left without "the incentive to care anymore."

Microsoft's cuts are certainly no secret, with a plethora of studios – including Bethesda and the like – losing developers mid-production. In a recent interview with Auf ein Bier over on YouTube, Hayes comments on the situation himself, criticizing companies for widespread layoffs.

"They weakened their studios," he starts (thanks, PCGamer). "When they do layoffs, they weaken and devalue their studios – but they don't understand that."

He continues, stating that companies like Microsoft "continue to say that they have strong studios while they weaken them." It's tough to listen to, seeing as he's definitely not wrong.

Heck, CEO Satya Nadella recently claimed Xbox has "the best IP" and "talented studios around the world," calling himself confident that it'll "return" to growth after its worst quarter in years amid the mass layoffs. So, yeah. Definitely not wrong.

Hayes goes on to say that "it is our experience together, our working together, and our past experiences that make the studio good" – and obviously, layoffs don't exactly fit into that picture.

"Yeah, you could just throw away half and bring in more later if you happen to need more number of hours to to fill out the check boxes that you want," the dev then admits… but that's not going to work in a company's favor, really.

"You're just going to end up with a mediocre game and people aren't going to be happy and everyone will know it," as Hayes states. "And that's the long-term thinking that doesn't seem to be present."

Not only is it not present, according to the id Software lead, but companies "fundamentally don't understand what makes the business." They might know numbers for marketing and the like, but not how to deliver a decent product.

"The actual reality of what makes a good game, how it gets done," that's what companies like Microsoft fall short of comprehending, as Hayes outlines. "They're so disconnected from that, they don't understand what it takes to build a team, what it takes to maintain a team – and that failures are important, too."

Rather than throwing in the towel following failures, the dev says it'd be beneficial to learn from them and allow team members to grow. But, sadly, that's far too often not how things work out.

"If you make a mistake, that's the last mistake you make as a team. That team is done. So no one's growing, no one's learning, and as a result, individuals don't have the incentive to care anymore."

I'm immediately personally reminded of The Elder Scrolls Online and how its team over at ZeniMax is back down to the same size it was a decade or so ago – and it's not a good reminder.

Hayes isn't the only person at id Software to speak out about the layoffs, either. Last month, producer Andrew Willis said, "You'll never get another World of Warcraft or Morrowind in the current climate" – a statement that sadly feels like it might just ring true if things carry on the way they've been going.

Here's hoping the industry heals a bit over time and that we see less news about studio reductions.

Mass layoffs expected at EA as the now-private publisher reportedly tells its new debt masters that it's going to cut $700 million in annual costs

A former Bethesda employee has revealed that the publisher was working on an unannounced PVP shooter which was eventually canceled.

The employee, who was included in Xbox's latest wave of layoffs that hit the publisher, included details about his 12-year tenure at Bethesda on his LinkedIn profile (via Twitter user Timur222), which included a detail from his role as an associate producer that reads: "Supported production on an unannounced PvP FPS title (subsequently canceled), contributing to scheduling and cross-team coordination."

However, that's pretty much all there is in terms of info for this title. Keep in mind the dev worked at Bethesda Softworks, not Bethesda Game Studios – the studio developing Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles – so there's a ton of possibilities.

One throughline in the resume is working with Machine Games on Wolfenstein games, and while the studio most recently released Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, there was a rumored FPS title in the works. In a Bethesda roadmap leaked in 2023, there was a title called "Project Platinum," which Giant Bomb founder Jeff Gerstmann identified as a Machine Games title in the vein of Rainbow Six Siege or Counter-Strike.

Over a year ago, Timur222 also spotted a "Canceled unannounced project" on the LinkedIn page of another MachineGames employee, giving the idea that this was Project Platinum a little more evidence, given it fits within the 2021 - 2025 timeframe.

Earlier this year, rumors emerged that MachineGames had begun work on Wolfenstein 3, after eight years and two spinoffs since Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus' ending, which felt like it was the beginning of something big (I mean, you gotta kill Mecha Hitler, right?).

Since the layoffs, word has emerged that Bethesda is set to focus on its "strongest franchises," which includes Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein. And while wanting to focus on Doom and Quake while destroying the studio behind them is certainly a move, the news does suggest that Wolfenstein 3 is safe from cancellation for now.

Doom developer id Software "is essentially dead," Duke Nukem 3D co-creator says after layoffs

Doom: The Dark Ages director and id Software co-studio director Hugo Martin has acknowledged the layoffs the studio is facing, and says things aren't as dire as they sound.

As part of a Slayers Club Live stream on the Bethesda YouTube channel (spotted by Kotaku), Martin says: "There's been reports that we've been 'nerfed into the ground' and 'gutted' and we have 50 people and that’s not true."

These reports came from a mixture of places. Derek Best, a principal VFX artist at the studio, talked of Xbox "nuking a team into the dirt," while a WARN notice filed in Texas suggested that 136 of the 185 developers at the studio were let go.

Martin continues, "We're the size we were when we made Doom 2016 and id Tech is very much alive and well." Reports also claimed that the id Tech team was decimated at the Texas studio, but Martin says: "You have to understand we have id Tech engineers both in Frankfurt and at MachineGames. We collaborate quite a bit."

Furthermore, he adds: "The id Tech is there, the Doom team is here, and we're excited to share with you guys more of what we're working on in the future when it is appropriate and approved."

After the layoffs occurred, former employees claimed Martin had proposed a "Gun Fu" action game inspired by the likes of John Wick, while Perfect Dark, a western robot survival game, and multiple Doom projects were also rumoured to have been pitched.

Martin says "the fact that we made a game that people like and is critical and commercially successful – like I said, it's doing very well related to the forecast and stuff – that's good for everyone, for the people at the studio, for the people who, unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to." He adds: "But what matters the most is that the games are good and I'm so happy that people, I don't know… It's just a good thing for everybody, it's going to help. So we are really here to just play the game now and celebrate the work."

If anything, Martin's note that Doom was critically and commercially successful just makes Microsoft's layoffs more mind boggling. A legendary studio which created some of the most iconic shooter franchises in history – ones Xbox is reportedly pushing Bethesda to make more of – facing layoffs at this scale while also being successful and owned by one of the most affluent companies in history is difficult to explain, to put it lightly.

Laid-off id Software devs "cannot imagine a path forward where they make another game in id Tech," despite the Doom studio's claims.

The shield saw, the star of last year's Doom: The Dark Ages, was my favorite weapon in Doom's entire bloody history. Not content with just sticking a parry in Doom and going for lunch early, id Software instead delivered the world's deadliest beyblade. A merciless disc of death you could frisbee into a screaming demon, or boomerang through entire hordes. The slowest, most lumbering entry of the new-Doom trilogy also starred a 'shield bash' that sent you rushing across the battlefield and slamming into Hell's finest. Slow? Please. Sonic wishes he could move like this.

The shield saw should be patched into Dark Souls immediately. Every other shield in gaming should hang its non-head in shame. What I'm basically trying to get across here is that the shield saw rules. And within the opening hour of Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations, the FPS' new DLC, id took my shield saw away and snapped it in half.

It's a bold new step forward for the Doom Slayer, but rather than developers being able to celebrate, the studio is already losing half its staff as part of Xbox's ongoing large-scale layoffs. That includes reportedly putting the future of the id Tech engine itself in jeopardy, and leading developers to question the value of Microsoft's purchase of ZeniMax, which included id owner Bethesda, back in 2021 in the first place. That's all before we even had enough time to tell you this Doom: The Dark Ages expansion is actually super rad. Turns out, big business can be more devastating than any BFG – and that's heartbreaking.

Sawly Missed

The Doom Slayer has been sent to Hell-prison, you see, presumably on about four billion demon murder charges. He thankfully gets to keep all the spectacular guns from last year's game, including the one that sprays bone fragments of demon skulls, the shotgun that sounds like the Earth itself splitting in half when you fire it, and that wonderful chainshot that's essentially the grittiest reboot of ball-and-paddle ever.

While it's great to be reunited with all these magnificent murder-toys, the shield saw being taken away truly hurts. Last year this studio trained us to approach Doom in a whole new defensive way, and now it's ripped and torn that option out entirely. Even FromSoftware let us enjoy an entire trilogy of Dark Souls games cowering behind a shield before snatching it away with Sekiro. id barely waited a year.

So what replaces this divine disc of death? The new chain spear, which is so weedy in appearance compared to a shield/chainsaw hybrid that I thought the game was joking. It looks like the kind of thing the Doom Slayer would use as a toothpick.

The spear actually shares a surprising amount of the shield's functionality. You can hookshot onto obstacles on enemies, like the shield dash. It can parry green attacks, and it stuns enemies you lob it into – though this effect only lasts until its hookshot has finished dragging you towards your victim. Which means you'll now be standing right next to a monster who's no longer stunned and is ready to get revenge. Gee, thanks.

Ah, but I soon discover that where I land is actually in my control. This isn't your bog standard videogame hookshot, wherein you latch onto where you want to go and then simply watch yourself get yanked towards it. No, you're able to swing left, right, and above as you're hooked forward, opening up some sublime new strategies.

The cacodemon, the floating megabrain that caused me so much misery in the main campaign, is now basically a hookshot launch pad for me to ascend myself to bullet heaven. I fling myself over it then unload super shotgun blasts into its grey-going-on-red matter the whole way down, landing in a fresh pile of its giblet-y remains. Bloody bliss.

Revelations also restores the much-missed dash button from Doom Eternal. Not being able to block isn't so bad when you can hurl yourself around or keep flinging yourself into the sky. Better yet, Revelations starts rewarding daring dodges as much as it rewards parries.

Death From Above

Last-second dodges fill a meter you can spend on executing special moves. I initially opt for a ground slam that damages anything stupid enough to be near where I land. That dash works in the air, too, so I can hook myself up and get an impressive amount of kills in before my feet ever get reacquainted with the ground. Doom has rediscovered its love of sending you airborne and developed a newfound romance with keeping you up there.

Ammo scarcity, something I all but forgot about in The Dark Ages proper, constantly catches me out this time. Probably because all my ammo upgrades from the main campaign are gone, and Revelations is about as difficult as that game's third act right from the starting shot. Not being able to just rely on a couple of guns to get through an encounter, but actually properly engaging with the weapon wheel is friction I'd sorely missed. Oh, I have a weapon called the impaler! Good to see you, old friend. Sorry for, er, completely forgetting you existed. Um… has the shield saw asked about me at all?

Doom has also learnt how to keep a secret again. The Dark Ages' main campaign made the bizarre decision to put almost every collectable on the map screen. Then it had the audacity to cheer 'you found a secret area!' when you walked into the clearly signposted 'secret' area. Imagine if I showed you where my bathroom was and then bellowed "SECRET AREA FOUND" as soon as you entered it. You'd be baffled for a number of reasons. Revelations, somewhat ironically, knows to keep things under wraps so finding its secret areas and bonus pickups actually feel like achievements again.

You'll want to seek them out, too, to afford the excellent Chain Spear upgrades. There's Deflection, which makes the spear reflect back automatic weapon fire whenever you dash, the slayer twirling it like a dance baton (where was this in Lollipop Chainsaw?). Tormentor will spin you around an enemy you've got the hook of the spear buried in, perfect for filling them with lead. Upgrade Tormentor again and enemies will also drop ammo and catch fire during that process. Cowards are definitely onto something – shooting someone in the back is immensely satisfying. …What?

So, after a steep learning curve, the Chain Spear definitely won me over. But before it did, something odd happened. The saw shield came crawling back. A few hours in, Revelations returns the shield to you, and now you can switch it out with the spear whenever you want. I was really torn about this. Great as it was to have my favorite toy back, I respected the game a lot more when it locked me into a new playstyle.

Offense is the Best Defence?

The shield is essentially a safer, steadier bet. Whereas the spear, when used well, can end a brutal battle in seconds. The catch being it can also end the battle for you in seconds. Eventually, you learn when best to switch them out on the fly. Demons who fire automatic guns at me are no match for a spear which can deflect those bullets. Whereas near the end of a long, long onslaught of demons, I appreciate a quick breather behind the shield so I don't lose the last twenty minutes of progress.

Once I truly got a handle on the spear, the shield was reduced to mere cameos, but I still think the game would have benefitted from at least another hour of it being my sole option before tempting me back into the more familiar pleasures of the shield saw.

It's a minor pacing complaint with what's otherwise a terrific package, an inspired remix of Dark Ages and Eternal that's as exhilarating as Doom has ever been. It's beautiful, the story is… well, much less crap than the main campaign's, and the puzzles can actually be called puzzles this time without being laughed out of the room. Best of all, the core combat is about as good as FPS gunplay gets. Only Saros threatens this one's perch for single-player shooter of the year. I said single-player, Marathon stans. Put away your shield saws…

Imagine owning a studio that can make games of this quality, that last year got three million players on board, and then gutting them more viciously than a demon on the wrong end of a chain spear. Tragically, Xbox's cruel layoffs that are targeting 3,200 roles across several studios may have finally delivered the killing blow to the Doom Slayer. Let's hope Revelations isn't the swansong to a studio of such incredible talent.

Check out our best FPS games ranking for more blasting!

Despite a statement from the studio, former id Software staff don't see how the studio can possibly make another game in its id Tech engine after a majority of the devs at the Texas-based studio were laid off.

Last week, after much conversation about what state the legendary studio is left in after 136 of its 185 developers were laid off by Microsoft, id Software released a statement on Twitter. "While our studio was impacted, those changes were spread across teams. We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for," the post reads, saying "The team today is about the same size we were when making Doom 2016."

While the Doom 2016 line may be true, the cost of game development is rapidly increasing compared to even ten years ago. And given the comments from developers affected by these layoffs, like Derek Best, former principal VFX artist, who said, "Nothing says business success like nuking a team into the dirt and relegating them to support studio size," many saw this as potential damage control from higher-ups at the studio.

Speaking to Game Developer, a source impacted by the cuts at id Software says, "Does Microsoft care? Absolutely not. And they seem to actually put some level of effort and care into making it as painful as possible."

Another dev let go last week told the outlet "They've just gotten rid of all the people who could ever fix, maintain, or change [id Tech], so it's most likely going to end up in the in the trash can," and while Microsoft commented on word that only one staff member remained at the Texas studio working on id Tech, they did not specify how many were working on the engine, which is also used by Wolfenstein developer Machine Games.

The developer continues, "The institutional knowledge [that has been lost] on the id Tech side is immense... I cannot imagine a path forward where they make another game in id Tech."

And yet, word is Bethesda is planning to focus on its biggest franchises going forward, and while The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are likely the priority for Bethesda Game Studios, Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein – three series made in id Tech – are apparently included in that focus. I'm not sure I see the thought process behind Xbox's decision with that one.

"There are no benefits to being owned by Microsoft," says Doom dev: "They have destroyed immense amounts of value that I don't even think that they're aware of"

The past couple of weeks have been undeniably difficult for the video game industry, with Microsoft's plan to cut 3,200 employees at Xbox affecting various in-progress titles and studios – one of which is id Software, the team behind Doom.

In fact, id Software producer Andrew Willis has spoken at length about the layoffs and their impact across the board. A few days ago, he called them "incomprehensible," saying that small worker-owned studios are "the only path forward" from here.

Since then, he's continued to share his thoughts over on LinkedIn, writing, "The games industry must change if it is going to create art and franchises that have long-term sustainable value."

As the producer states, "Right now, it feels like the monopolies that control it are simply trying to extract as much goodwill and value (that took decades to build) as they can with little concern for the diminishing returns it's leading to. This is what happens when the people who control it (most Ivy League MBAs) do not play games, have never shipped a game, and fundamentally do not understand the industry they manage."

Willis then says, "You'll never get another WoW or Morrowind in the current climate" – a statement I can't help but feel rings especially true right now.

It's difficult to imagine such impactful games releasing when so many developers are struggling to mitigate the blow that widespread layoffs are leaving in their wake… and according to the producer, a lot of the issues stem from improper management.

"One thing that drives me nuts while watching the games industry be mismanaged is how everyone is looking for these massive 10x returns but is so focused on short-term growth that they essentially kill the goose before it can start laying eggs," as he explains.

"Disbanding and destroying a team after just one commercial letdown… makes it so you won't ever have a group that learns from their mistakes and perfects their next attempt (see Helldivers 2)."

With such quick trigger-pulling, Willis says studios will "never get that breakout success" they're after.

"These people would've turned down funding for George Lucas, Walt Disney, etc., and they wonder why they can't establish another colossal IP that pays dividends for decades. It's mind-boggling. There is lots wrong with the game industry, but I believe that one of the main things is that the people who manage it today have no idea how it actually works and refuse to learn or listen to the people that do."

The producer cites how wild it is to see spending on hardware and software go up, but layoffs never settling.

"It's really amazing how demand and consumer spending on video games continues to increase year over year, and yet the supply side continues to be extremely volatile for employees," he describes. "The failure to connect these two sides in a way that creates sustainable growth points to a direct failure of executive leadership – the consequences of which are only suffered by workers."

Willis signs off with one final thought: "The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the executive management class that controls the video game industry is so severely inept that they have somehow failed everyone all at once in every aspect – the shareholders, the consumers, the employees, and anyone who cares about games. They tried to sacrifice quality for profit, and they didn't even manage to generate the latter. Abysmal choices."

I'm inclined to agree with Willis on his point about a "breakout success" in this climate – it feels near impossible. Here's hoping the industry is able to heal a bit over time, and that we see less news regarding mass layoffs, too.

Layoffs might offer "better short-term financial results," late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted in 2013, but "employees who fear that they may be laid off" will never produce the same results

An id Software developer says there is no benefit to being owned by Microsoft after the Xbox-owned developer faced mass layoffs one day before the launch of a new Doom DLC expansion.

Speaking to Gamedeveloper, the unnamed source at the Doom developer explained, "They [Microsoft] didn't even wait to see if the product is successful before they got rid of the team."

And had Microsoft waited, it would've seen that Doom: The Dark Ages' Revelation DLC has netted rave reviews on Steam and is one of the top-rated games of 2026 on Opencritic.

Reports say the studio has seen 136 of its 185 developers laid off by Microsoft, in its fifth round of mass layoffs since spending 75 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard. Despite the publisher apparently pushing Bethesda to make more Doom games, Xbox saw fit to seemingly gut the team behind the iconic franchise.

"There are no benefits to being owned by Microsoft," the developer continues. "In fact, they have destroyed immense amounts of value that I don't even think that they're aware of."

Unfortunately, even if you release a good and successful game now, you're still not safe. Doom: The Dark Ages was the "biggest launch in id's history" when it launched in 2025, and just over a year later, id has reportedly been made a shell of its former self.

Meanwhile, Ubisoft is in the process of letting go of 51 developers at Ubisoft Barcelona, right as Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced was is released. One Gamedeveloper source echoed this, saying, "It feels like we put a good product out and it just has zero effect on your longevity in the industry."

There really aren't many studios left with the legacy of id Software – the studio that revolutionized the FPS, which would then go on to become the biggest genre in the world for a time – and it's a studio that has never really had any major missteps either. It's a shame to think that years of knowledge might be lost as 136 developers seek out new employment in an industry with fewer jobs to go around.

"Great job Microsoft": Former id Software artist says the legendary dev has been "relegated to support studio size" after Xbox's strategy of "nuking a team into the dirt"

id Software producer Andrew Willis can only see one way through the Microsoft mess as the company begins executing its plans to bulldoze 3,200 jobs at Xbox: studios owned by workers, rather than executives who don't mind setting fire to, say, 3,200 jobs.

Willis mourned the layoffs – which already impacted 136 of id Software's total 185 staff members – in a LinkedIn post earlier this week, calling the layoffs an "incomprehensible decision," and remarking that "the game industry is being run by people who do not fundamentally understand anything about it, not even how it generates value or profit." He's decided in a new post, then, that "the only way to fix the video game industry at this point is for developer owned studios to start rising from these studio closures and layoffs."

Doom studio id Software, of course, was originally created by Doom's developers in 1991, but Willis also seems in favor of true worker cooperatives where all of a business' employees double as owners who can guide direction. A co-op is not impervious to problems – worker-owned Dead Cells developer Motion Twin had a public falling out with the game's lead dev after a disagreement in 2024, for example – but I think many people would prefer interpersonal drama to receiving an email from a CEO you've never met informing you that something like 3,531,840 more people in your field have just been laid off.

So, Willis, who also helped lead id Software's unionization efforts in 2025, says, "We've got to learn from the past, be fiscally responsibly, and create an environment of sustainable growth (though growth should be a byproduct of success, not a goal in and of itself)."

"Its the only path forward I can see," he reiterates. "These large publishers and monopolies have proven themselves terrible stewards and somehow even worse financial managers." To his point, although Microsoft Gaming had already eliminated 2,500 jobs in 2024, and Microsoft killed about 15,000 more jobs in 2025, Xbox began 2026 with its overall revenue 9% down in a hole.

"If the people who create the value own that value, good things will follow," Willis concludes. Makes sense to me.

Microsoft lays off Bethesda vet behind Todd Howard's "crazy" Fallout 4 idea, "too many Skyrim weapons to count," the Dwemer, and Mudcrabs – and he may leave games altogether.

The Xbox reset announced on July 6 is the biggest, most controversial restructure in the Microsoft division's history. The broad strokes are simple: Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs, 1,600 of them being immediate layoffs, in a spate of studio spin-outs and redundancies off the back of low profit margins. The company has become unhealthy, according to CEO Asha Sharma, with the restructure aimed at "reset[ting] our content portfolio".

Basically, Xbox is paring back its output to its highest-earning franchises and will be rerouting money and people into them. But with each new day bringing more numbers, outrage, and insights into Sharma's "Resetting Xbox" announcement, I can't be the only one who feels the picture is getting foggier by the hour.

Here, I'm going to go through everything we know so far about the Xbox restructure, from the studios being sold back to themselves as independent developers to the layoffs and consultancy periods we know of right now. I'll touch on how Xbox managed to get here in the first place, and what the reset might mean for all the upcoming Xbox Series X games now that development teams have been cut or divested entirely.

Layoffs

Xbox announced 1,600 immediate "role eliminations" in the first stage of its reset, with the majority coming from ZeniMax studios Bethesda, ZeniMax Online, and id Software, with further instant cuts made at Obsidian.

After receiving a notice from the Texan Workforce Committee, Game Developer reported that 136 jobs in total have been cut from id Software, with a further 22 being made at Bethesda Game Works. This brings us to 158 job losses under the ZeniMax umbrella at the time of writing.

Studio exits

As part of the Xbox Reset, CEO Asha Sharma has announced that four Microsoft-owned studios "will leave Xbox to new management," meaning they are to be sold and will no longer be part of Xbox's in-house developer cohort. In addition, Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Deathloop, Redfall) has entered "required consultation" in Lyon, France, to decide the developer's future.

The four Xbox studios being sold as part of the reset are:

1. Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, South of Midnight)
2. Double Fine (Psychonauts, Psychonauts 2)
3. Ninja Theory (Hellblade, Hellblade 2)
4. Undead Labs (State of Decay, State of Decay 2)

What does the reset mean for future Xbox games?

With the Xbox reset impacting multiple studios with games either in active or conceptual development, the severity will depend upon whether the teams have been cut or the studios themselves sold on.

As Compulsion and Double Fine are being sold back to themselves as independent developers, each will leave Xbox with " their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games" intact according to Sharma's announcement.

Compulsion confirmed in a post on Blue Sky that it will keep the rights to games shipped under Xbox, including last year's dreamy South of Midnight, and Double Fine reiterated that it will also regain full rights to its back catalogue too.

Meanwhile, it looks like Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will retain "funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3" after being divested and sold off to new management. Senua was only recently announced at Summer Game Fest 2026, and State of Decay 3 has been in development for six years and is finally slated to launch in February 2027. It also leaves another question in the air: whether State of Decay 3 will launch on Game Pass at all, let alone on day one, now that Undead Labs is splitting from Xbox.

Aside from slashing its workface, another goal of the Xbox reset is to course-correct the division's poor profit margin by reinvesting time and manpower into flagship franchises. This means Obsidian has had to scrap plans for Avowed 2 altogether, allegedly working on a new Fallout game instead. Off the back of that, Bethesda will continue working on The Elder Scrolls 6 as one of the key tentpole franchises remaining under Xbox, while there's been no mention of Fable 4 developer Playground Games in any of the announcements so far.

Most intriguing to me right now is what will become of Marvel's Blade, which is in development at Arkane. Xbox has revealed very little about Arkane's "required consultation" period, including whether it intends to make redundancies or sell the studio off entirely, so I'll have to get back to you on that one.

As for why any of this was necessary in the first place, I've already touched on the lack of profitability Xbox is experiencing at the moment. But according to Reuters, Microsoft is axing 4,800 jobs across the whole company ("more than 2% of their global workforce") to finance its AI spending. It seems Xbox is just bearing the brunt of that figure. AI is one of Microsoft's biggest interests at the moment, and with Xbox boss Sharma announcing her role as an "external advisor" to the US Federal Reserve on "productivity and jobs" in the wake of AI technologies, it's all starting to sound a little circular.

Xbox claims that reports of there being only one person in Texas left working on id Software's id Tech engine are inaccurate.

Reports emerged that as part of the devastating layoffs at id Software – which saw 136 of the studio's 185 staff members laid off – the team working on the id Tech engine was affected massively. Yesterday, it was claimed that this was so widespread that only one person was left working on the engine at id Software's main Richardson, Texas studio. However, in a statement given to Kotaku, an Xbox spokesperson says this is inaccurate

"There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations," the spokesperson says , adding: "Reports that there's only one person left in Texas are inaccurate." That being said, it is unconfirmed just how many people are left working on the tech.

Kotaku's source said they weren't sure how the engine could be patched due to the breadth of the layoffs, saying: "The institutional knowledge is just not there." The same source said: "id Tech as a technology is probably dead forever."

Derek Best, former principal VFX artist at id Software who worked on the latest Doom trilogy as part of his 12 year tenure at the studio, claimed the studio has been relegated "to support studio size," while saying Microsoft was responsible for "nuking a team into the dirt" and "throwing out massive technological achievements."

Alongside these comments, Best noted that "the VFX team was eliminated down to one single artist with no lead or producer." As for the engine, he also mentioned that "the engine programmer responsible for the massive gains in VFX pipeline improvements (like all the particle editor work) was let go as well," adding that "all devs that had Houdini knowledge for procedural modeling or cached animations were wiped out." Best said: "All the work for Doom: The Dark Ages in that program has gone to waste with no one to carry it on."

Pitches for a co-op Doom, a new Perfect Dark, and a John Wick-inspired cyberpunk game were cooking at id Software before Microsoft layoffs reportedly led to 136 job cuts.

id Software co-founder John Carmack has reacted to the massive layoffs under Microsoft, which have reportedly led to the majority of the studio losing their jobs.

"I have been trying to find something meaningful to say about the Id Software layoffs." Carmack says in a thread on Twitter. "My 'Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand' statement isn't aging well," he says, adding "this is certainly going to dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon next month."

Carmack explains: "I'm saddened, but I can't muster anger or outrage over it. I don't have access to the books, but I suspect that Id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft's perspective." He says, "I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios," in reference to a Bloomberg report (via PC Gamer) that claims that profits from Minecraft had been used to prop up less successful studios under the Xbox banner.

However, Carmack is taking a bit more pragmatic approach when it comes to the layoffs, even if they are coming from a company that made $281.7 billion in 2025. "To continue being produced long term, games need to succeed, not just be beloved," Carmack adds, saying, "You can't rule out the possibility that executives are idiots, but that shouldn't be your default belief. I don't think there is any obvious path that would have doubled the revenue from id games."

Carmack then speculates on different approaches that could've been taken like different pricing or marketing – and one could argue giving away Doom: The Dark Ages, a $70 game, for the price of a subscription fee probably didn't help it sell.

Former principal VFX artist at id Software, Derek Best said earlier this week that Microsoft has nuked "a team into the dirt" and relegated them "to support studio size." But despite this, Carmack believes, "The game isn't over yet, and I hope the studio rallies through." Fellow id co-founder John Romero also commented on the layoffs, calling them "devastating" while praising the developers who carried on id's legacy after the founders left, saying: "The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people."

Pitches for a co-op Doom, a new Perfect Dark, and a John Wick-inspired cyberpunk game were cooking at id Software before Microsoft layoffs reportedly led to 136 job cuts.

The axe is swinging around Xbox at the moment, as hundreds of jobs have already been cut across Microsoft's game studios. Of the teams impacted, id Software's reportedly been substantially hit, to the point that there's apparently only one single person left working on the id Tech engine.

This comes from a report by Kotaku which goes into the changes at the legendary studio. Sources tell the outlet that id Tech is now a department of one following the latest redundancies. The engine is bespoke technology to the company and has been the backbone of the Quake, Wolfenstein and Doom games since the mid-'90s.

"The institutional knowledge is just not there. id Tech as a technology is probably dead forever," a person familiar with the situation says.

Although the engine was mostly for in-house games, it had been used elsewhere, such as in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from MachineGames, and in both The Evil Within installments from Tango Gameworks. Really, though, it's the implementation in the modern Doom games that garnered the most praise.

The bouncy, punchy power fantasy of Doom 2016, Eternal, and The Dark Ages comes from the engine and how confidently id Software was able to use it. These are all among the finest first-person shooters of the last 20 years, and to see people integral to them be treated this way is just sad.

It's noted that id Software has a European office based in Frankfurt, and there's a chance some people there may be drafted in to help maintain id Tech. But that's speculation for now, as direct communication on these issues remains limited for now as companies reel from the sudden changes.

As of now, Obsidian, id Software, Bethesda and more have reportedly been significantly affected by job losses and other changes. Apparently, no projects are currently greenlit at id Software, leaving the outfit in a state of flux for the time-being.

After 37 years at Microsoft, veteran who led Xbox Backward Compatibility program has been laid off: "I look forward to watching how Xbox evolves going forward."

id Software's massive layoffs have turned the iconic FPS developers into effectively a support studio, according to a developer affected by the job cuts.

Despite the word that Xbox is apparently pushing Bethesda to work on tentpole franchises like Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein – as well as to get the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 out sooner, which has apparently resulted in Obsidian canceling an Avowed sequel to work on a Fallout game – Microsoft has decided to absolutely decimate Doom and Quake developer id Software. Word is that the studio has seen 136 of its 185 developers laid off by Microsoft, with word that the id Tech engine team is now a single employee.

Derek Best, former principal VFX artist at id Software – who worked at the company from 2014 until he was laid off this week – posted on LinkedIn (via VGC) about the layoffs.

"A little over 12 years ended unceremoniously the day before the DLC launch we all crunched to get out the door." He continues, "I'm still in shock at how brutal the layoff cuts were," saying that "Collectively decades of knowledge was wiped out of the studio."

Best notes that among the 136 employees affected. "The VFX team was eliminated down to one single artist with no lead or producer."

Best adds, "Great job Microsoft. Nothing says business success like nuking a team into the dirt and relegating them to support studio size while also throwing out massive technological achievements."

It's hard to stress how much the id Tech engine was integral to almost every Quake game as well as the modern Doom games.

Not to mention the IW Engine and Treyarch NGL engines used for Call of Duty titles are based on idTech 3 after it was used for the first Call of Duty game. And most recently, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle proved how good it is for other genres, with the adventure game looking gorgeous and running smoothly. And I can't expect whatever Xbox has planned for Doom or Quake in Unreal Engine to feel quite as right.

Still, it's not about Doom or Quake feeling right at the end of the day. It's about 136 jobs being lost and one of the most important studios in the history of gaming being hollowed out by its owner, and the decades of technical knowledge leaving the studio with those employees.

Pitches for a co-op Doom, a new Perfect Dark, and a John Wick-inspired cyberpunk game were cooking at id Software before Microsoft layoffs reportedly led to 136 job cuts

Doom developer id Software was reportedly pitching various projects before a majority of the studio was laid off, including a new Perfect Dark, a John Wick-inspired game, and a multiplayer Doom game.

As reported by GamesBeat – which has interviewed now-former employees about the massive layoffs at id Software that have reportedly seen 136 of its 185 developers laid off by Xbox – after finishing Doom: The Dark Ages' Revelations DLC, the studio wasn't working on a major project, and was in the midst of pitching various ideas, which unfortunately left it in a vulnerable position. These projects apparently included an original game called Fury, a new Perfect Dark, and a multiplayer-focused Doom title.

Fury is reportedly a project that studio co-director Hugo Martin proposed, and blended sci-fi, noir and cyberpunk elements with Gun Fu combat in the vein of the John Wick film series. Another apparent candidate was a western robot survival game with the codename Ironwood. Meanwhile, Doom reportedly had pitches for multiplayer, co-op, and DLC projects for the series that never materialized.

There was also a Perfect Dark pitch reportedly being worked on with a presentation given and concept art in the works. The series hasn't had a release since the Xbox 360 launch title, with the rebooted project from The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics canceled last year as part of what seems like now-yearly mass layoffs at Xbox.

However, none of these projects are likely to ever come to light. Reports out of Bethesda claim that Xbox is apparently pushing the company to get the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 out sooner, and that alongside those two, the company is to focus on tentpole franchises like Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake.

Of course, I don't really understand why you would absolutely gut the company responsible for Doom and Quake (as well as the studio that made Wolfenstein's most influential title: Wolfenstein 3D) if you wanted to focus on those series, but Xbox and Microsoft decisions don't always make the most sense. Previously, Matt Booty (then head of Xbox Game Studios, now executive vice president and chief content officer of Xbox) said "we need smaller games that give us prestige and awards," a day after closing Tango Gameworks, which had released Hi-Fi Rush – a smaller game that gave Xbox prestige and awards.

John Romero praises the devs who carried on id Software's legacy as Microsoft reportedly lays off half of the studio.

Xbox is in the midst of an aggressive recalibration. CEO Asha Sharma is pursuing a "reset" of the content portfolio. Compulsion Games and Double Fine have regained their independence, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have been sold; thousands of jobs have been cut across Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios. We're still getting a grasp on how severely individual studios are impacted, although some appear significant.

Reportedly, id Software has lost 50% of its staff. It's a shocking development, leaving a pioneering developer – the stewards of the id Tech engine, and creators of Doom and Quake – with drastically lowered capacity. Bethesda Game Studios, id, MachineGames, and ZeniMax Online have apparently been given a mandate to refocus on Bethesda's "strongest franchises", but it's difficult to know where id goes from here.

Doom, Eternal, and The Dark Ages performed admirably, but didn't necessarily rip and tear the market to shreds. Quake Champions launched out of early access in 2022 but failed to gain momentum – arena shooters remain a challenge in an environment dominated by battle royale, extraction, and hero shooters. It's been over seven years since Rage 2.

Common sense would dictate that id shifts to support MachineGames – long rumored to be developing a sequel to 2017's Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. This would make sense: MachineGames has collaborated with other Bethesda studios around Wolfenstein in the past, having launched Cyberpilot and Youngblood with Arkane Lyon in 2019.

There's also external pressure to consider. A live action Wolfenstein television series is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, and given that Asha Sharma recently outlined a trans-media vision for the future of Xbox, it's unlikely that she will want to repeat the mistake made with Fallout: two hugely successful seasons of the show landing without a new Fallout game to meet raised interest.

Speaking of Fallout, id Software could help Xbox pursue its ambition of getting players back into the wasteland a little faster. Given the palpable appetite within the Xbox community for Obsidian to deliver New Vegas 2, I'd rather see id's expertise placed elsewhere. The studio is world renown for making the best feeling shotguns in video games – that would be wasted on V.A.T.S.

Xbox owns arguably the greatest catalogue of shooter franchises in the video game industry. Brink, Call of Duty, Doom, Gears of War, Halo, Overwatch, Perfect Dark, Prey, Quake, Rage, Singularity, Soldier of Fortune, StarCraft, and Wolfenstein to name but a few. If Xbox is serious about wanting to deliver more of its biggest franchises faster, it could do far worse than transition id to Gears or Halo.

Halo 3: ODST proved that Halo can thrive under tonal shifts; perhaps a faster, more furious id instalment would work wonders as Halo Studios gets its arms around the future of the mainline series. But really, id and Gears are a match made in heaven. The series could do far worse than an FPS experiment.

The gritty setting is perfect territory for a grounded, viscerally violent FPS. Don't just take my word for it, Cliff Bleszinski (designer of the original trilogy) toyed with taking Gears in this direction before Epic sold the IP to Microsoft. "I can tell you I wanted to actually consider going first-person with it," he told XboxEra. "I mean, can you imagine chainsawing a Locust in first person?"

I can imagine it, Cliff, and I want to play it. And there's no studio more equipped to make it a reality than id Software. Whether it will be given the opportunity under this new era of Xbox remains to be seen.

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The new Doom: The Dark Ages DLC is being received well on Steam as it releases on the same week Microsoft reportedly laid off around half of the staff at developer id Software.

Doom: The Dark Ages wasn't the most well received game in the series, as its pivot to a slower, more deliberate style of gameplay put off some players that were accustomed to how fast Doom Eternal was (myself included). id Software clearly took this on board as the first look at Doom: The Dark Ages' first big expansion, Revelations (nothing to do with the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 game), seems to speed things right up, with a far more aggressive style.

Over on Steam, the DLC currently sits at a "Very Positive" rating, with one dubbing it "What base game should've been from the start." Another review says: "It's like Dark Ages and Eternal had a child. This doesn't even feel like a dlc this feels like a full on sequel."

Unfortunately, this DLC's release date has come at the worst time, as id Software has been hit hard by Xbox's seemingly endless spree of layoffs – the fifth since Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard – with roughly half of the legendary studio reportedly laid off.

Naturally, a lot of the reviews for the DLC are acknowledging the layoffs, with the current top review saying: "Sending my love and support for ID software after this release, and having half their studio laid off. Nobody deserved this." Meanwhile, the second highest says: "Cherish this DLC with every second you spend playing it. It may very well be the last piece of good DOOM content that we ever get. I see no purpose in review bombing it. It will not change Microsoft's mind." Review bombing the DLC, they add, would not give any laid off staff "their jobs back."

Doom developer id Software "is essentially dead," Duke Nukem 3D co-creator says after layoffs reportedly cut almost half of the studio.

Apogee co-founder George Broussard has commented on the latest wave of Xbox layoffs, saying Microsoft not shutting the studios is simply "decent PR" for them while the studios now face new struggles.

As part of what it calls "the most significant restructure in Xbox history," Microsoft, is laying off 3,200 staff from Xbox over the next year, with five studios being sold or spun off as independent developers – including Bethesda studio Arkane, which is still in consultation over its future. Significantly hit from this round of layoffs is reportedly Doom and Quake developer id Software, which is with former Bethesda lead Jeff Gardiner reporting that 95 developers are being let go from the studio – which is reported to have around 200 employees per its LinkedIn.

Developer of one-time Doom rival Duke Nukem 3D Broussard also commented on the id layoffs on Twitter, reporting on what he's heard from the studio about the magnitude of these layoffs. "Tools, programming (except a couple), Quake Champions team, testing team. All gone." Broussard reports, while another quote says "seems like all they left was leadership and art/design. I think Xbox forgot Quakecon is next month."

Broussard adds, "It really does sound as if id is now a support team for Bethesda/others. Rip idTech, which was amazing. Maybe Machine Games will carry it on or maybe it will be dropped for future games? But the read is that id is essentially dead. At least for the time being. Yes, the studio wasn't closed and half still have their jobs. That's great."

As for the four studios Microsoft let go, Broussard says, "One view is this is great. For MS they get decent PR for being 'good guys'. But the truth is that in at least one case (and maybe others), retaining the IP in such a case was written into the original contract when MS purchased them."

So far, it has been confirmed that Double Fine and Compulsion are retaining their IP as part of their independence, with Undead Labs and Ninja Theory still confirmed to be working on State of Decay 3 and Senua, respectively; however, it's not clear if the studio's new owners will also own their franchises.

Broussard adds, "Second, these studios now are out of the MS lifeboat, on their own, and will have [a] short time to find new deals or funding and they will make it or not. Never mind they sold to MS originally to avoid this grind and be 'safe'."

He adds, "Yes, they have a second chance, but more layoffs may simply be deferred and outside the current umbrella of today's layoff round, so MS doesn't really get the bad PR of simply shutting studios down. This means continual worry by the employees and stress for mgmt."

id Software co-founder John Romero has commented on the layoffs, which have reportedly cut the Doom and Quake developer in half.

Xbox is laying off 3,200 staff over the next year as part of what it calls "the most significant restructure in Xbox history," with this marking the fifth wave of layoffs since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $75.4 billion. Hit especially hard from this is ZeniMax Studios – which Microsoft acquired in 2021 – with Arkane set to be spun off or sold (alongside Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games), while Fallout developer Bethesda Game Studios is reportedly losing 35 staff members.

Bethesda is reportedly pivoting to focus on its "strongest franchises," with reports claiming this is set to include Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein alongside the obvious push for The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5. However, shockingly, id Software – one-time Wolfenstein developer and current Doom and Quake shepherds – have reportedly been gutted with layoffs, with former Bethesda project lead Jeff Gardiner reporting that 95 of the around 200 staff members are being let go from the studio.

Romero – whose FPS title was canceled, reportedly by Microsoft last year, which had Romero Games potentially facing closure – reacted to the news on BlueSky, saying, "I’m thinking of everyone at id today, and everyone else affected by yesterday’s layoffs. Romero Games was there a year ago. I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you."

Romero continues, "I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It’s a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history." He adds, "The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people."

The gutting of id Software is especially confusing in the wake of the news that Bethesda wants to focus on two of its games, but on top of that, the amount of knowledge just lost from the studio with the layoffs reportedly focused on the coders working on the id Tech engine – who are regarded as some of the best in the industry – likely leaves the upcoming Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games in a worse place than they would have been.

As Bethesda is reportedly hit hard with layoffs from Microsoft, president Jill Braff has apparently told staff of the plan to focus on the company's strongest franchises going forward.

This week, Xbox announced its fifth wave of layoffs since purchasing Activision Blizzard, with this ongoing wave set to see 3,200 staff laid off over the next year. From the sounds of things, Bethesda is going to be one of the most affected targets of these layoffs, with former Bethesda project lead Jeff Gardiner reporting that 35 staff at Bethesda Game Studios are losing their jobs, while id Software is being gutted, reportedly losing 95 staff members.

On top of that, ZeniMax-owned studio Arkane is in the process of "beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options," while Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games have broken off from Xbox during this latest restructuring, with the latter two going independent.

The layoffs at id Software are a major surprise, as they come alongside reports that Bethesda is set to change focus to its biggest franchises, which reportedly features Doom and Quake – two franchises primarily developed by id Software – alongside the expected push for The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5. While these were first reported by Bloomberg, an internal email from Braff acquired by IGN seems to back this up.

"These shifts also reflect the realities of our industry and business – and our responsibility to ensure Bethesda is operating from a more stable foundation." Braff says, adding: "To be successful in the future, we need to change course. We must strengthen our business, return to sustainable growth, and ensure we can continue investing in our franchises and our players."

She continues, "To best position Bethesda for future growth, we are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what's next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises." Braff adds, "By working more closely across the organization, sharing expertise and capabilities, and focusing our investments on the opportunities with the greatest potential, we believe we can better support our franchises and IP with meaningful long-term potential."

Of course, one wonders why Microsoft took this long to shift Bethesda's focus and work on getting the next Fallout and Elder Scrolls games out as soon as possible. However, with a significant portion of the talent at id Software affected – which reportedly is focused on the coders working on the id Tech engine – it feels almost antithetical to the studio's plan to focus on its first-person shooter franchises, and evidence of the poor planning from Xbox management that has led us to this point.

Despite rumors that Xbox was looking to have Bethesda owner ZeniMax focus on Fallout and Elder Scrolls, the company will reportedly also be working on other franchises as part of an overhaul amid Xbox's major restructuring.

While Xbox is considering "potential strategic options" for Arkane, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have been purchased by currently unknown buyers, while Double Fine and Compulsion Games are going independent. As part of its ongoing wave of layoffs which will see 3,200 staff laid off over the next year (the company's fifth wave of layoffs since the purchase of Activision Blizzard) – Bethesda owner ZeniMax is reportedly also going through an overhaul to see it focus on the biggest franchises under its banner.

Last month, rumors emerged that Xbox is reportedly pushing the company to get the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 out sooner, but other franchises are reportedly set to be worked on alongside them. As reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, ZeniMax will apparently pivot to focus on its biggest franchises, including Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, alongside its iconic FPS trio Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, amid a significant overhaul.

Notably, Quake and Wolfenstein haven't had new entries in around a decade, since Quake Champions and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus released in 2017 (although two Wolfenstein spinoffs did release in 2019 to a negative-to-mixed reception).

However, despite the news that these franchises will be developed, Schreier reports that Quake and Doom developer (as well as one-time Wolfenstein developer) id Software will be cutting "a significant number of staff" today alongside ZeniMax Online Studios – which faced a game cancellation alongside layoffs almost exactly a year ago.

It's unclear whether the franchises will be worked on by other studios under the ZeniMax banner, however Wolfenstein developer Machine Games is seemingly unaffected by today's wave of layoffs.

Developer American McGee had to learn he was destined for goth greatness at some point, so why not during Quake 2's development? Somewhere around 30 years ago, he found out he was interested in telling stories through video games in a way his co-workers at id Software didn't care for, and it eventually led him to create my favorite, graveyard smash Alice games.

In response to a clip from his 2000 game American McGee's Alice on Twitter, the former Doom developer remembers the moment he discovered others at id Software weren't eager to use the studio's proprietary Quake engine for "proper cinematic storytelling."

The gameplay clip demonstrates what he means: it's from early in Alice, when the wayward girl gives into her anger at everyone who seeks to confine her, developing ram horns and an itchy red glow. The Rage gives her temporary invincibility, plus a firepower buff, and in the short clip, we see a player using it to demolish enemies in seconds. Then they push open a few squeaky doors and wander into a series of treacherous, floating puzzle sections characterized by black-and-white tiled floors, winding stone staircases, and the sneering Cheshire cat who delivers advice through insults.

"The proper order of things is often a mystery to me," he says at one stage. "You too?"

The game camera tracks Alice in different ways throughout all of it, to set different moods. It gets in her face when she's full of Rage, then it zooms out at odd angles when she's navigating a puzzle and disoriented.

McGee's interest in constructing a game this way – with emotional layers – he says in his Twitter post, traces back to "this one time at id Software when we were working on Quake 2 and everyone piled into [late video game artist] Paul Steed's office to check out what Valve was doing was our tech. 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!"

"And I let out a breathless 'WOW,'" McGee continues. "The whole room turned around and scowled at me. Ha. That was the moment I knew, 'OK, well. I want to tell stories with this tech. And these guys don't.'"

McGee was eventually fired from id Software in 1998, though, he says in another Twitter post, "I have no idea why I was let go from id. In the meeting where I was told I was being let go, I recall [studio co-founder John] Carmack or someone saying something along the lines of, 'We feel you no longer fit in here.'"

That day, McGee "first cried," he says, then "I began smiling. Then laughing. And the first chance I was given to do something on my own with that tech? Well, I pushed it as hard as I could in relation to surreal visuals and cinematic storytelling. 26 years later and I can still say 'Wow.'"

Alice and its 2011 sequel Madness Returns, which McGee says "felt like magic" to make, stun me with their narrative and stylistic ambition. Plenty of developers have tried to imitate them in the decades since they were made, but the games are surely made with a secret recipe combination of fairytale horror and dizzy platforming that I don't think anyone other than McGee understands. That's why I nervously confirmed with him earlier this spring that he was working on a spiritual successor to the games – and why I'm overjoyed that he is.

Alice Madness Returns creator American McGee is making a spiritual successor, and he's not worried about EA: "There's a kind of obvious overlap, but not one that gets us in trouble with the lawyers."

Doom fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming DLC for The Dark Ages, according to game director Hugo Martin.

In a new Slayers Club livestream, Martin dropped a bunch of previously unknown information about the untitled DLC, which doesn't yet have a release date. The stream was almost two hours long, so there's no way to break down every little new detail, but suffice it to say, there's gonna be a ton of new stuff.

"It's massive," said Martin. "It's so big. Look, guys, I know that it's been ultimately a while since we shipped the main game and you're waiting for the DLC, but just know that it's freaking huge. It's basically like a sequel. I mean, that's what it feels like, it's just ginormous."

A lot of what was talked about in the stream is extremely vague, but I think the point Martin and senior community lead Joshua Boyle tried to get across is that the DLC will be mechanically very different from the main game. "The DLC is nothing like this," said Martin as he played the main game on stream. "What I've been playing [in the DLC], I haven't been playing like this."

In terms of specifics, Martin revealed that there will be a new spear weapon possibly tied to some sort of dash, leap, or teleport ability, but again, vague, vague, vague. Sadly, nothing was revealed about release timing for the DLC, but Martin said the teaser trailer is "a little ways out there."

Doom devs including John Romero respond to terminally ill fan spending his final days playing Doom: The Dark Ages: "You are not alone in that hospital room"

Despite revolutionising the FPS genre with the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom co-creator John Romero's greatest love appears to be World of Warcraft.

Speaking to PC Gamer, Romero dived deep into the games on his PC. He revealed that his most-played game is none other than Blizzard's iconic MMO, saying, "I have probably 3,000-plus hours in WoW." Romero explains, "I lived in that game every day for five years. Six hours usually, every day. And then weekends were as long as I could stay awake."

As for where the obsession came from, Romero notes that "I was making an MMO at the time, and studying that game was really important to me as far as 'Why do I want to do this? Why am I putting up with this? What are you thinking about second to second while you're doing this?'" The love went so deep that Romero didn't even stick to one character, saying "I had 10 characters total. When you start a new character, you're starting the game from the beginning, but I knew how to optimize burning through. I could get to level six in half-an-hour."

Granted, World of Warcraft is somewhat universally beloved by MMO fans, the more surprising love of Romero's is one he describes as a game he'll never uninstall: Ubisoft's 2018 shooter Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Romero speaks about his love of the original game in the series, thanks to its approach to realism, "It's such a hard game, you know? You could get shot once or twice and you're dead."

But as for the poorly received 2019 release, Romero explains that after 20 years of the original "it was like "This is the new Ghost Recon game". [It's] open world, number one, hundreds of levels…in Breakpoint, [you can] get in a helicopter at night and fly up and just see all the different lights of every single installation in the place. It's insane the amount of content that's in that game, even though really they had to rush that thing out in a year and a half." So Ubisoft can rest easy knowing that at least one Ghost Recon fan likes the newest entry in the series.

John Romero awards John Romero "the most satisfying weapon in gaming history" award for Doom's Super Shotgun, and he's right

Employees from Doom developer id Software and publisher Bethesda are rallying around a terminally ill superfan who's choosing to spend his final days as Doom Slayer.

Reddit user Wanderingreader123 recently shared a bittersweet image of him playing Doom: The Dark Ages in a hospital room. In the post, he said he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and now has "possibly weeks" to live.

Wanderingreader said he's been a Doom fan since 2016 and has ripped through the reboot, Doom Eternal, and all DLCs, but due to financial constraints, hadn't played the latest entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, until the Toronto hospital where he's being treated bought a PS5 and the latest Doom game so that he could play from his hospital bed.

"I am currently blasting my way through hordes of demons in Chapter 4 and I have nothing but childish glee as I return to my roots as a badass Demon Slayer," he wrote. "I may not live to see the upcoming DLC, but I am nonetheless happy to finally play the game in my own hands."

"To the developers of ID Software, thank you for bringing such a beautiful piece of art that not only brought the FPS genre to its roots, but also revitalized and reinvented the wheel that no other game could," added Wanderingreader. "Not only that, but thank you for crafting such an awesome series for a fan like me.

"Rip & Tear, lads!"

Pinned to the top of the post are heartfelt responses from various members of the Doom development team, including Hugo Martin; director on 2016 Doom, Doom Eternal, and Doom: The Dark Ages; and series creator John Romero.

"I tell the team all the time, people care about our games, we have to put the same amount of care into making them," said Martin. "It has been the honor of our professional lives making these past three games for fans like you. To make the Slayer feel STRONG in DOOM, we infuse him with all the attributes of a true old school hero: we give him strength, courage and heart… we make him like you. RIP AND TEAR my friend. You are the real Slayer."

Romero said he's "moved and honored that you carried DOOM with you for a decade and chose to live in DOOM as your journey nears its end. You are the definition of bravery and courage. You are the reason DOOM exists.

"When we made DOOM, we wanted to create a world where you felt powerful even in the face of overwhelming odds," added Romero. "Knowing that it has been a companion to you, something familiar, something steady, something alive, means more to me than I can properly put into words.

"You are not alone in that hospital room. You are standing in a place millions of us have stood, fighting. Every enemy, every level, every moment matters because you do."

Bethesda community manager Joshua Boyle, who's appeared alongside Martin in official Doom livestreams for years, also stopped in to say he'd reached out to Wanderingreader via Reddit direct message. "Wanna see if we can do as much as we can for ya," said Boyle.

In the wake of these messages of encouragement, Wanderingreader expressed his gratitude and said it's "an extreme privilege" to be a part of the Doom community.

It's worth highlighting the outpouring of support Wanderingreader continues to receive from the Doom community. I found a few messages that are every bit as profound and thoughtful as the ones shared above, and I'd like to close with this one from user Temporary-Share5153:

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rip & tear against the dying of the light."

Doom and Wolfenstein 3D may never have happened if a developer hadn't almost fallen out of his chair playing their poorly selling FPS Catacomb 3-D.

While Wolfenstein 3D is often considered the origin of popular FPS games before Doom then sent the genre into superstardom, neither were the first FPS that id Software made. Tank-based shooter Hovertank 3D was the studio's first dip into the genre, while Catacomb 3-D was the studio's first foray into a character-based FPS.

However, despite Wolfenstein and Doom becoming revolutionary titles that would define a genre, they might never have happened if id made more responsible financial decisions. id only made $5,000 on Catacomb 3-D – about "ten times" less than the studio's 2D platformer series, Commander Keen was making – but thankfully Adrian Carmack got a fright.

"One of my more cherished memories of making Catacomb was Adrian almost falling out of the seat when he turned around right in the face of a troll," John Carmack recalls in John Romero's documentary on the making of Catacomb 3-D (spotted by PC Gamer). While this could have simply been a funny memory of development, it actually proved to be more pertinent than you'd think.

"This is where we could tell we're starting to get it," John Carmack explained, adding, "This is the future of gaming, rather than looking at the little sprites moving around on the screen and maybe getting tense. But it was the sense of shock. That was the first moment that locked into my mind that we were really onto something in this new genre and style of play."

Adrian Carmack defended himself, saying, "It just automatically sucked you in visually. You couldn't help it," adding, "That was just one of the craziest things in a videogame I'd ever seen. We definitely knew that we'd found a new game style, a new game type."

And despite Catacomb not becoming a massive hit, Romero recalls "One night, we talked about how Catacomb 3-D was just the beginning of a new way to play games, and that the future was 3D." He adds, "Within an hour, we had decided what our next game would be: Wolfenstein 3D, the grandfather of first person shooters."

FPS legend John Romero says Doom is "one of the great privileges" of his life on the game's 32nd birthday

If there's anything gamers love more than playing video games, it's arguing about video games on the internet. Yet, every once in a while, a question comes around with an answer so obvious that it's tough to even put up a fight about. Like yes, obviously, Doom 2's Super Shotgun is the GOAT FPS weapon. Even legendary Doom designer John Romero isn't about to put up any false modesty about it.

The Twitter account for the revived Apogee Entertainment brand posed a straightforward question over the weekend: "What's the most satisfying weapon in gaming history?" Given the brand doing the asking, you probably wouldn't be too surprised to hear that most of the replies name classic FPS weapons, like Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun, Doom's BFG, or the Quake railgun.

But one weapon packing two barrels of destruction keeps coming up, and Romero put it in the simplest terms possible: "Super Shotgun." As our friends at PC Gamer note, the iconic Doom 2 armament is probably the closest thing to an objective answer this question can have. Iconic, powerful, and there nearly from the dawn of FPS history. You might have a personal favorite, but how can you argue against the Super Shotgun?

There's something a little Obama Awards Obama a Medal about Romero naming a weapon from his own game for this honor, but, well, he's right. And he's been pretty consistent about saying it. He responded to a similar prompt in 2023 to name the Super Shotgun the "most iconic weapon in gaming," and took the time to tell a fan with incorrect weapon opinions that "the super shotgun is the GOAT." There's no fighting with the legend on this, I'm afraid.

These are the best FPS games you can play today.

Doom designer John Romero has revealed that he almost co-founded another iconic studio instead of id Software, and we may have been calling him "System Shock designer John Romero" in another world.

1993 and 1994 would prove to be extremely important to the PC gaming landscape as two titles that would go on to define their genres dropped. I don't need to tell you the effect id Software's Doom had on the first person shooter genre, but then the next year LookingGlass Technologies' System Shock arrived and laid the foundation for the immersive sim that its sequel would then properly define (much like Doom did to Wolfenstein 3D's foundation).

Well it turns out things could have been much different for both studios. Speaking to Nightdive Studios (via PC Gamer) – who remade System Shock back in 2023 – id Software founder John Romero revealed that had he not made a promise a week prior, his career would have been very different. Romero said that while working at Origin Systems, his coworker Paul Neurath "had asked me before I left if I wanted to start a company with him, and I told him that I'd already promised the week before to found a company with my manager."

The studio Neurath founded, Blue Sky Productions, would later become LookingGlass Technologies, which in turn created the System Shock and Thief series. Nightdive's Larry Kuperman then points out how wild it would've been if John Romero had instead gone to work with Warren Spector, to which Romero reminds him they were coworkers at Ion Storm, where Spector directed Deus Ex, and John Romero made "you his bitch" with Diakatana.

"So much of DOOM’s soul is down to heavy metal": FPS legend John Romero says "without Ozzy and Black Sabbath, I am not sure it would have been the same."

Doom co-creator John Romero has paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, citing the metal genre's influence on the game.

If there was ever a game that felt like a distillation of heavy metal (aside from Brutal Legend, which is very literally that) it's Doom. The cover art by Don Ivan Punchatz is one of the best metal album covers of all time – if you ignore the fact it's not for an album – and the game itself feels like an album come to life.

So it won't shock you to hear that Doom was heavily inspired by the genre, which is widely considered to have been created by Black Sabbath.

Following Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne's passing earlier this week, id Software co-founder John Romero took to Twitter to pay tribute to the pioneer of metal.

"So much of DOOM’s soul is down to heavy metal, and without Ozzy and Sabbath, I am not sure it would have been the same," Romero said, adding, "Certainly, I would not have been the same. Metal gave a voice to a whole generation of kids that didn’t fit in for one reason or another. It still does."

While never appearing in a Romero game, Ozzy Osbourne has had numerous appearances in various games, with his music featured in titles such as Madden, Rock Band, WWE 2K, and GTA over the years.

Plus, he actually appeared in Brutal Legend (which was recently made free in honor of Osbourne), in which he played the fitting role of the "Guardian of Metal," and Guitar Hero: World Tour as a playable character along with his songs Crazy Train and Mr. Crowley.

Pac-Man and Tetris are "the two most important games of all time," says Bethesda lead Todd Howard, with Doom and Super Mario Bros. standing as the most "influential."

Of all the best retro remakes and reboots of old games, Shadow Labyrinth might very well end up as one of the strangest. A dark and gritty sci-fi game about cruel enemies, all the while being empowered by the dark, eldritch horror known as… er, Pac-Man? Yes, Shadow Labyrinth is a reboot of the Pac-Man franchise that seems to be inspired by games like Hollow Knight, Metroid and Inside, among other things, and certainly one of the more unique new games to come out in recent memory. I can't say anybody saw it coming, but I suppose you should credit developer Bandai Namco with not being too obvious and wanting to keep things fresh. Personally, I can't wait for the boss battle with a giant cherry.

But Shadow Labyrinth is only the latest in a grand history of retro reboots that went out to reinvent the games they were building on. Some of these stumbled hard, like Metroid: Other M falling short of the best Metroid games, or the 2002 Space Invaders remake "Space Raiders" best being forgotten. But there are some success stories! In fact, some of the best games in recent memory have been new takes on the supposedly "untouchable" classics.

With that in mind, I've been going back through my library of games to enjoy all the great reworkings and modern twists on old classics out there, the 5 best retro remakes and reboots, or at least those sequels that found new angles on what came before. Though for the sake of this list, I'll be considering "retro" as anything that came out 20 years ago or more. If that slaps you in the face with the cruel reality of the merciless passage of time, so be it.

5. Tetris 99

Developer: Arika
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

It shouldn't work. It couldn't work. "What if Tetris was a Battle Royale Game" sounds like some silly meme, and yet the end result is undeniably entertaining. With nearly a hundred players all furiously building walls at each other like competitive bricklayers, there's something completely absorbing about the sheer frenzy of it all.

If you've got a Switch online subscription, you can get this one for free, and it's definitely worth a try on that basis alone. That being said, maybe brace yourself for a brutally tough playerbase – after having been out for several years at time of writing, those remaining are likely to be some very stiff competition.

4. Wolfenstein: The New Order

Developer: MachineGames
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3

The Wolfenstein franchise has had multiple reboots and remakes to various degrees of success, but it's the New Order that easily takes the gold. Focusing on a whole new alt-history continuity where the Nazis win WWII with space-age tech, hero B.J. Blazkowicz becomes head of the resistance and begins fighting back in colorful locations all across the world – and even beyond it.

Yes, the New Order is a gleefully fun and ridiculous game – to the extent that one mission has you fighting fascists on the moon while dual-wielding shotguns – and yet it's really well-written in a way that can be incredibly affecting, with character development being a high point in our Wolfenstein: The New Order review. Despite his capacity for extreme violence, Blazkowicz is a soft-spoken protagonist who seems permanently (and understandably) exhausted by his exploits, and the supporting cast is all robustly written too. Not to mention that you can actually play part of the original Wolfenstein in a hidden easter egg!

3. Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver

Developer: Game Freak
Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS

Let's get this out of the way: Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal, the second generation, are the best Pokemon games in the core franchise… Or at least they were, until Heart Gold and Soul Silver basically just improved over them in every way possible. This is arguably the only regular remake on this list, rather than a full reboot, but to be honest, HG/SS builds so expansively on what came before that they feel like a bona fide elevation.

As games go, these are complete fan-pleasers. You want quality of life improvements that don't compromise the core experience? You want your Pokemon to follow you around like they did in Pokemon Yellow? How about having your Pokemon follow you around in real life, with the attached Pokewalker device? I tell you, if Game Freak wants to win people over, just port these to Nintendo Switch 2 – it'll be the easiest fortune they ever made.

2. Doom (2016)

Developer: iD Software
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

The 2010s were just a really good time for reimaginings of classic FPS shooters, perhaps none greater than Doom (2016), a game so good it launched a new era for Doom games that's still ongoing today, and arguably helped to inspire the bouncier, faster-paced era of shooters that supplanted the heavier, more realistic military ones before it.

Doom (2016) is a game so cut down to basics that it's both deeply refreshing and completely hilarious. The Doom Slayer is basically the Tasmanian Devil, a vortex of endless violence who wakes up, starts murdering demons, and does nothing else for the next fifteen hours. Fighting first across a Martian space base before venturing into hell itself, there's never a moment where you doubt that you're the most dangerous thing on the battlefield, submitting anything the slightest bit infernal to atrocities that even they would probably consider a bit much. Still, that's part of its charm, and one of the reasons that our Doom review gave it full marks.

1. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Platform(s): PC, PS2, GameCube, Xbox

Did you forget that this one wasn't the first? The original Prince of Persia was a supremely retro step-platformer that came out in 1989, for the Apple II computer! The legendary 2003 reboot for the franchise immediately became a contender for one of the greatest games ever made, and Sands of Time has managed to hold onto that crown and stay in those discussions ever since.

A fluid and wonderfully charismatic game with a great gimmick, Sands of Time blends parkour, combat, and the ability to play with time seamlessly together, while also featuring a great story and developing romance behind it all. A highly anticipated remake has been in development hell for years, but if you can find a copy for PC or an old PS2 to play it on, you'll still have a great time with it even now.

Feeling old-school in your tastes? You can check out the best PS2 games right here, or go even further back with the best retro games!

Doom The Dark Ages is finally in the hands of players who wanted to spend extra cash on the premium edition of the game, with the actual release date being tomorrow, May 15. Id Software has gotten out there to answer questions about the game ahead of release and to warn players of potential bugs and glitches found in the game. One of which has the most Doom-like solution possible.

In an FAQ posted on Steam , the developers answer a number of questions about the game, such as if the Steam Deck is supported (sadly, no) or if the game requires a Bethesda.net account to play (also no), before going into known issues.

In Doom: The Dark Ages, once you fully upgrade a weapon, you are given "Mastery Challenges," which require you to pull off feats with the gun to unlock something special. For the Shotgun and Super Shotgun, these challenges are "Barrel Stuffer" and "Super Barrel Stuffer." These require you to hit demons with every single pellet of a shotgun blast a number of times.

The issue is that smaller demons crumble under the power of the shotgun, so id Software has devised the most Doom-like solution possible, simply saying, "Try on Heavy and Super-Heavy Demons for more consistent progress."

A lot of Doom: The Dark Ages' combat encounters have you get up close and personal with the demons you're fighting anyway thanks to the new parry system, so if you're struggling to get the Barrel Stuffer, running right up to a massive Mancubus and blasting away at its belly is the optimal tech for now – but given that the problem is listed as an issue, it's probably safe to assume you'll be able to get it by hitting little demons eventually.

Make sure to read our full Doom: The Dark Ages review to get our verdict on the new Doom game

Doom has been going strong for decades, but the upcoming entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, is looking to switch things up by taking us to a Lovecraftian dimension known as the Cosmic Realm and giving us a gun that fires a melee weapon. It's rad.

In a new trailer and gameplay showcase, game director Hugo Martin reveals the new world of the Cosmic Realm. It's got trippy, "Cyclopean architecture" that shifts around and flying squid things – it's definitely got that Lovecraft feel.

"An unholy union between Hell and the Cosmic Realm has been formed," so that explains why the Doomslayer needs to go there and kick some butt. This means there are twisted new foes to face off against, like the Cosmic Baron, which has two bladed arms and can unleash psionic projectile attacks if you try to fight it at range.

Luckily, it and other enemies can be parried with the new shield to open them up for a counter attack. There's also a Kaca demon, which, to be honest, looks like a floating brain with tentacles. It would be at home in Bloodborne.

To help you dispatch these demons is the new Reaver shot, a gun that fires a large metal ball attached to a chain that can recall it. It's awesome. Its light attack simply targets one opponent, but its heavy attack can whip around to hit multiple at once. It looks like a great new piece of kit.

Martin calls Doom: The Dark Ages "the best Doom game we've ever made," and says "we gave this everything we've had, we've left no feature unpolished." There was originally going to be multiplayer added, but the team scrapped it to ensure the single-player mode could be as good as possible.

For now, check out all of the best FPS games available to play.

Doom: The Dark Ages is a pseudo-Christian, science fiction hell pit seeking to challenge the overwhelming violence of the amoral Doom series after three decades of mayhem – or something, I don't know, I just watched its new trailer wholly soaked in lore, and now my brain is pulsing.

"The makers felt a weapon as powerful as the Slayer," a narrator says Doom protagonist, "should be guided." We watch as knightly Slayer – crowned in a medieval-ish silver helmet rather than his usual modern military green – is imprisoned and bound in chains of lightning.

But when a Diablo 4-ass demon king plans to grow his power in Hell, the Slayers' wardens request a mysterious Bishop Creed to "launch the Slayer." This is the point where you start bursting fat aliens' brains out with monstrous guns, or breaking their eight limbs off with a ball-and-chain flail.

"I can never rule as king," the demon growls at you, "so long as you are the only one they fear."

Based on this trailer alone, Doom: The Dark Ages looks set to be an intense Game-of-Thrones-in-space experience, which pairs well with the skull-cracking, wet gloom of every other Doom game.

But, as someone whose favorite aspect of Doom is zooming around maps like a werewolf while I listen to Nine Inch Nails, I'm a little hesitant about The Dark Ages' apparent number of cinematic cutscenes.

id Software studio director Marty Stratton, though, tells Edge magazine that the developer is now focusing on lore because many fans have been invested in the series' story. Plus, id Software has "data that shows that, in Doom Eternal, an extremely large percentage of people who play through the game watch the cutscenes."

Now that I think about it, I guess I do watch Doom cutscenes, too. I'm just also listening to Nine Inch Nails and eating a hamburger.

Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that."

Steam has added another genre tag to the digital storefront, this time officially recognizing the old-school "boomer shooters," as games about booming and shooting surge. 

The boomer shooter moniker simply refers to retro shooters (Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein) and the waves of modern games, usually indies, built in that style (Dusk, HROT, Turbo Overkill.) They're sometimes characterized by their nostalgic pixelated/voxelated art, sometimes by their labyrinthine levels, and always known for how furiously you can blast baddies.

Steam’s latest genre tag has given the boomer shooter some newfound validation since, for years, the title has been a little controversial around online forums, mainly because Doom and other 1980s shooters were more likely played by Generation X. But I guess the "OK, boomer" meme makes the term easily understandable. How about Doomer Shooter?

Andrew Hulshult, the composer behind several throwback shooters including the excellent Dusk, shed some more light on the term’s origins in a recent social media post. "The term 'boomer shooter' was a lovingly cheeky term we saw used when developing Dusk as a description for Doom," Hulshult explains. "So we ran with it because it was funny. It would go on to be associated with an entire genre of shooters. Today it’s a category on Steam. I love this reality."

The boomer shooter, erm, boom will certainly expand in the coming years thanks to the storefront’s new tag. You can head over to Steam’s Boomer Shooter section to find all those trigger-happy games that make you feel like you're ice skating around demons. Among them is one of the best Warhammer games ever made and the spell-slinging Hexen, a classic that Phil Spencer wants to see return now that Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard. 

For now, check out the best FPS games to get your classic fix. 

It's just over 30 years since Id Software launched Doom onto an unsuspecting world. Famously, the studio decided to make it available by uploading the shareware version onto the FTP site of the University of Wisconsin, immediately crashing the institution's entire network. This was just a hint of the chaos this seminal first-person shooter would wreak. Sure, Doom wasn't the first FPS and it wasn't the first game with online multiplayer, but it innovated in so many ways, it was so fast, so advanced, so imaginative, so violent, that it changed the games industry forever. 

Sitting here in (almost) 2024, the age of photorealistic 4K visuals and 1GB broadband connectivity, it's tempting to believe that Doom has long since faded into irrelevance. But that's not the case. In his recent autobiography, Doom Guy, John Romero lists the set of design rules he laid out for the game while the team were working on it. Playing the very latest shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it's clear that most of the those rules are just as relevant to the FPS genre as they ever were way back in the mists of time (i.e. 1993) – especially in terms of online multiplayer modes. The ghost of Doom still lurks in the burned-out corridors of Modern Warfare, and I'm going to show you where.

Doom with a view

First of all, let's think about map design. Doom's levels were primarily built for the single-player experience, but they had a very compact, non-linear structure. Players often had to double-back and re-explore old areas to open locked doors. Indeed, one of Romero's Doom design rules was: "Reuse areas in the level as much as possible, as it reinforces the understanding of the space every time the player goes through an area again. For example, if players come back to a central hub before going out to a spoke, they will remember the hub the most." 

While modern single-player campaigns tend to be almost entirely linear, this principle still lives on in multiplayer maps. Most are designed around two core archetypes: three-lane maps, which have a trio of parallel channels leading from one end of the map to another, and circular maps, where a central hub is surrounded by concentric orbital routes. Some maps contain elements of both.

It's really interesting to look at how similar these modern maps are to Doom levels. Let's look at two examples side by side. First, we have the opening level of Doom; and second, we have Highrise from the Modern Warfare series.

Notice how they're roughly the same size, and how they both have a central hub surrounded by smaller, winding channels. Both adhere to Romero's principle of reuse, of encouraging players to memorise and constantly renegotiate the space, creating their own routes through the alleyways, tunnels and open hub sections. How we behave in MW maps is exactly what Doom speedrunners were doing 30 years ago. 

One of the key principles of multiplayer map design is over-watch – the provision of hidden elevated positions with long sightlines from which cunning players can watch (and snipe) unsuspecting enemies. On Activision's Call of Duty blog, multiplayer design director Geoff Smith explained how and why these areas were reintroduced into 2019's MWII maps: "In our previous games, we would have these power positions, and those got boiled out of the game due to concerns about 'head-glitching' or camping. But that was the kind of special sauce that made Team Deathmatch work so well; that you have a power position and you actually have an advantage by having a line of sight and people would gravitate toward you."

This idea of gaining visibility over players elsewhere on the map was there right in the earliest stages of the Doom design process. "I remember we were barely starting to get multiplayer working," says Romero. "But I was finishing off a level design and I visualised looking through a window into another room and just thinking about two people out there throwing rockets and plasma rifle shots at each other. I thought, there's nothing that can be better than this. Blowing away a guy who's fighting another guy. We saw that the network gameplay, no matter how it's connected, was the critical must-play part of the game."

Stick 'em up 

Weapons are another area where Doom's blueprints live on. Its standard guns – the pistol, shotgun, chain gun (basically an LMG) and rocket launcher – all remain in the FPS arsenal, but more importantly, the way they were designed to fulfil different and lasting roles in the game had lasting ramifications. "Doom really expanded the vocabulary of FPSs," says Romero."It defined a lot of the rules, one of which was extremely important for all modern games, which is in the weapon selection. Every weapon in Doom is always useful.

You do not wipe out the previous gun because you got a better one. In Wolfenstein, that's not true – as soon as you get the chaingun, every other gun is useless. But in Doom, every gun is totally valuable, and that was one of the most difficult design and balancing exercises: to get the weapons different enough that you had to choose one depending on what you were doing. None are ever eliminated."

The facets that made Doom work so well are continually being rediscovered by new designers. For the re-imagined Modern Warfare maps, both Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer have prioritised fluidity of movement through 3D space. Players can climb up scenic objects such as air conditioner units onto previously inaccessible roofs, they can mantle over walls, they can slide across floors and then fire their weapons immediately, they can opt for Covert Sneakers and sprint unseen and unheard for long distances. The new games are all about uninterrupted motion. 

This is exactly what John Cormack was going for when building the Doom engine. "You're always moving forward," says Romero. "It was critical that the engine was super smooth – the speed of the acceleration, the amount of friction it took to stop moving, the strafing speed, the mouse movement being rock solid. It was just the feel of the movement through that space." It's also there in Romero's first rule of multiplayer map design: "A player should not be able to get stuck in an area without the possibility of respawning."

Doom took the audio as seriously as the visual elements of the environment, and this is another vital element that still influences FPS titles today. Id Software used sound to enhance the sense of impending battles. You hear monsters before you see them, often from nearby rooms; you hear doors opening and closing. These give vital clues to the player – just as footsteps and gunshots do in Modern Warfare. Doom was one of the first games to introduce the concept of spatial audio as a strategic element. 

"[It was about] setting up that environment to feel like you're under threat," says Romero. "Hearing sounds off in the distance that something is coming, that kind of thing. We had a little bit of that in Wolfenstein beforehand, but with Doom, we purposely put those wandering sounds in so players could hear them moving around and be scared to hear it. Coming up with that palette of playability and gameplay was really critical."

The chances are a majority of Modern Warfare III players have never seen the original Doom running on a 386 PC in 320 x 200 resolution – the way it looked and felt thirty years ago. But you can buy it on Steam for a couple of quid, or try the homebrew update GZDoom. Graphically, it's hopelessly dated in a lot of ways. But the feel of it – the speed, the guns, the player movement, the design of the maps, the drama of player-vs-player engagements in dark corridors – all those elements still work. The rules Romero shared with Id's designers and programmers hold up. In fact, Romero is still using them - as well as a lot of the original Doom code - in his next project, the spiritual sequel, Sigil 2. Doom is to games what Halloween is to slasher movies – an inescapable blueprint. You can run from it, but even after 30 years, you can't escape. 

Here are the best FPS games you can play right now 

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he'd be "all in" when it comes to revisiting the company's "trove" of IP.

Speaking during the Official Xbox Podcast, Spencer discussed the recently closed Microsoft Activision deal and reflected on the company's other IPs. "When I think about Activision Blizzard King, you add in Bethesda, you add in Xbox's history, Rare - like the amount of franchises that we now have in our portfolio is kind of inspiring, it's daunting. I feel that we have to be a great custodian for the content that we touch," Spencer explains.

"When you look across all of the franchises that are part of our teams, there's an opportunity for us to go back - even if it's just to recognize the moment and what those things meant in gaming's history and do something right with it," Spencer continues, "If teams want to go back and revisit some of the things that we have and do a full focus on it, I'm going to be all in on that. I think there's just an amazing trove of things that we can go and touch again."

Using Id Software's Quake 2 remaster as an example, Spencer explains that the team behind the 2023 title "did a real good job revisiting a game, making it current, but also not leaving the history behind," noting that he'd "love to see more things like that." The Xbox exec also mentioned games like Raven Software's Hexen as well as Activision's Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk series' but didn't reveal any future plans for any of these franchises. 

Elsewhere in the same interview, Phil Spencer pledged "100% parity" across Call of Duty in an attempt to reassure PS5 players. Addressing not just PlayStation players but also Nintendo fans (Microsoft did sign a deal to put Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles for 10 years, after all), Spencer said: "I want you to feel 100% part of the community. I don't want you to feel like there's content you're missing out [on]." 

Find out what's definitely in the pipeline with our upcoming Xbox Series X games list. 

The original Zelda has been transferred to virtual reality via the power of Doom.

Yes, not only can Doom be played on virtually any interface in history, but it can also be used to play other games entirely. In the creation just below, for example, we can see one enterprising Meta Quest 2 headset user has utilized id Software's classic shooter to remake The Legend of Zelda entirely in VR.

The actual act of playing the Zelda VR port comes via the player swinging around their sword to throw out fireballs at enemies they're aiming at. Their isn't really much sword combat per se, like you'd typically associate with The Legend of Zelda games, but there are, at least, some fiery balls of destruction instead.

You can still use the original Zelda's shield ability to block incoming attacks though, vital for surviving boss encounters. The player even pulls up a dungeon map at one point in front of them, closely examining the layout of the cavern to decipher where they are and where they should be headed.

This is all just the initial level of the original Zelda game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, as the video closes out with the player obtaining the first piece of the Tri-Force. We don't know if this user plans on remaking the full game in VR, but it could be well worth paying attention to their future exploits.

If you've never played the original Zelda game, it's worth noting you can take a stab at it right now via the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service on the Switch, as well as a bunch of other classic NES games.

Check out our guide to the best NES games of all time to see which ones you need to play first. 

Update - November 16: In a new statement, Bethesda called Mick Gordon's allegations "one-sided and unjust" and asked Doom Eternal fans to "refrain from reaching conclusions" based on his account alone. 

Original story follows...

Shortly after the Doom Eternal OST released in the wake of the game's launch in March 2020, players could tell that something was wrong. Back then, composer Mick Gordon declined to comment more than to tell PC Gamer that "I take a lot of pride in my work. It's all I do, it's all I have and I pour my heart and soul into it." Now, in a lengthy Medium post, Gordon alleges that the OST has been the subject of a lengthy legal back-and-forth between himself and representatives of iD Software parent company, Zenimax.

Throughout that post, Gordon alleges significant crunch in the development of the game's original soundtrack. He claims that he was asked to provide two level scores a month, but that audio teams were reluctant to approve music as levels were rarely complete. With Doom Eternal's soundtrack sticking closely to the player's actions, it was extremely difficult to commit to audio until late in development. Gordon describes months of overwork, exacerbated by the outright rejection of some scores, requiring four tracks, instead of two, being provided the next month. By the time the game shipped, Gordon says that he'd "delivered more than double the minutes stated in the contract," but wasn't paid anything extra.

Things got worse when, at E3 2019, iD Software announced a Collector's Edition of Doom Eternal set to contain an OST that Gordon claims was not in production at the time. Gordon claims that efforts to expedite that production schedule were rebuffed by executive producer Marty Stratton until the issue was escalated to Bethesda. In those conversations, which took place in March, Bethesda allegedly told Gordon that he'd receive a bonus if he could provide a 12-song OST by April 16.

Gordon says that on April 3, with less than two weeks before that deadline, Stratton contacted him to say that the April 16 date was now a hard deadline, as consumer protection laws could mean that buyers who didn't get the OST by April 20 would be entitled to full refunds. At the same time, Stratton revealed that another developer, lead audio designer Chad Mossholder, was working on an alternative version of the soundtrack. Metadata purportedly accessed by Gordon revealed that work on that project had begun in August 2019, despite later claims that it was a late decision.

Just before the deadline, Gordon's work was scrapped, replaced with a much longer OST that Gordon considers "wasn't up to standard". In an attempt to rectify that situation, Gordon alleges that he and Stratton agreed to a joint statement, after he declined to "take ownership" of the mistakes that he claims were made by Mossholder. A draft of that statement "never arrived."

Instead, Gordon says Stratton took to Reddit, with an open letter discussing "increasing concern[s]" in Gordon's ability to deliver the OST to deadline, among many other claims. Gordon describes this post as "an extensive series of lies that blamed me entirely for the failure of the DOOM Eternal OST", saying that it was "littered with lies and disinformation which directly contradicted the actual events and contractual clauses". Due to Stratton's seniority within the studio, he continues "nobody thought [he] would go out on a limb and post a series of false accusations on Reddit".

Despite distancing himself from the release on social media, Gordon claims that the post has led to notable harassment, and also says that Zenimax offered to settle when Gordon got lawyers involved in the issue. The deal at that time was that "they would pay me the money owed, but on the condition I produce a new, polished version of the DOOM Eternal OST." Gordon's counter-proposal, however, made it clear that he would be unhappy working under the "shadow" of Stratton's post, and asked for it to be taken down. Zenimax allegedly didn't accept those terms, and instead withdrew the settlement offer.

According to Gordon, however, the company's next move, was another settlement - "a six-figure sum in return for taking full public responsibility for the failure of the OST." Under those terms, Stratton's post would stay up, and Gordon would be forbidden from ever speaking about Doom, the OST, the post, or ever saying anything negative about any Zenimax studio or employee. Gordon declined those terms, and now alleges that further attempts to address the issue have been met by stall tactics from Zenimax. In a tweet last summer, Gordon says that he has made "many, many offers" to fix the OST, but none have yet to have been accepted.

Gordon also says he's posting his version of events as an attempt to "move on" from a "toxic client", and that "the truth is more important" than the "hush-money" settlement he was offered by Zenimax. 

We've reached out to Bethesda, iD's parent company, for further comment on the post.

The upcoming Bethesda games lineup has just grown following a major update from Bethesda Game Studios.

Following news that Xbox is undergoing a major restructuring " reset" which has sadly seen a large number of layoffs and studio departures, Bethesda put out a big update announcement on future project plans. Not only did it offer some development updates on previously announced big upcoming RPGs yet to come, but it also dropped the news that Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are officially getting remasters.

From a sequel to Skyrim with the next Elder Scrolls game, to new games in the Fallout series, and more, you can find a recap of all the upcoming Bethesda games confirmed so far right here. I've also included an overview of the latest news regarding each of the projects in the entries rounded up below so you can stay up-to-date.

Upcoming Bethesda games currently in development

TBC

Elder Scrolls 6 

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: TBC (potentially 2026)
Platform(s): TBC

Over the last decade, Skyrim has enjoyed immense success as one of the best RPGs that's found its way onto almost every platform imaginable over the years. With so much love for Elder Scrolls out there among players, it's no surprise that another installment is in the works. That's right, we are getting The Elder Scrolls 6... eventually.

First announced with a short teaser officially confirming its existence with a title reveal in 2018, very little is known about Elder Scrolls 6. But as the team's main focus has shifted from 2023's Starfield, with the majority of the studio now working to bring us the next Elder Scrolls as of 2026, Bethesda Game Studios put out an update in July 2026 that stated: "The next chapter is on the way. We're where we planned to be, loving how it looks, and playing it every day."

Fallout 5

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: TBC
Platform(s): TBC

As one of the longest-running IPs now owned by Bethesda, another Fallout entry has always been on the cards. In fact, even before it was addressed by Todd Howard, seeing a Fallout 5 someday felt inevitable, given the success of Fallout 4. We don't yet know much about our return to the post-apocalyptic world, but as of July 2026, Bethesda confirmed the game is officially in pre-production.

Of course, the studio previously announced it would be working on The Elder Scrolls 6 first, with Fallout 5 to come after. With that in mind, if The Elder Scrolls 6 were to very optimistically release in, say, 2027 (although that seems less likely by the day), we would be, in theory, looking at a 2030 release date for Fallout 5. All that's to say, this one is far out, but it's exciting to know we have a new entry to look forward to. While you wait, you can reflect back with us on the best Fallout games.

Fallout 3 Remaster

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: TBC
Platform(s): TBC

After a lot of rumor and speculation, Bethesda Game Studios officially revealed in July 2026 that we're set to someday see a Fallout 3 remaster. While the studio confirmed its been working to bring the 2008 RPG into the modern era, we're light on details for the time being, with Bethesda stating it won't be announcing a date for its release just yet.

We're now waiting to find out more about the shape of the remaster and how it will update the Fallout adventure set in Washington DC. We can likely expect visual enhancements to make it shine on modern hardware, but we're curious to see if any new content will be added.

Fallout: New Vegas Remaster

Developer: TBC
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: TBC
Platform(s): TBC

Alongside the news of a Fallout 3 Remaster, Bethesda also confirmed its working on a Fallout: New Vegas Remaster, too. The 2010 RPG was developed by Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 developer, Obsidian Entertainment, but it's unclear at this time if Obsidian is involved in the Remaster. Still, given that Obsidian is teaming up with Bethesda to work on something new, they may well have input from the studio or devs who originally worked on New Vegas.

Often considered one of the best RPGs with choices that really matter in the Fallout series, fans everywhere have been hoping to see the post-apocalyptic adventure that follows a courier in the Mojave desert get the shiny remastered treatment. While we're still waiting to learn more about New Vegas' comeback - with the studio yet to reveal a release date or remaster details - it's exciting to know it's in the works.

New Fallout Project

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios / Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: TBC
Release date: TBC
Platform(s): TBC

In Bethesda's big announcement update regarding its future projects in July 2026, the studio revealed it's working with Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment on as an as yet unnamed "new Fallout Project".

"The wasteland continues to expand as we team up once again with our longtime friends at Obsidian Entertainment," Bethesda writes. "We're happy to confirm they're working with us on a new Fallout project. We'll have more to share in the future." We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more on this one!

Marvel's Blade

Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: TBC
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X

Bethesda is on board as the publisher for the upcoming Marvel game, Marvel's Blade. Originally announced in 2023, it's been some time since we had a major update on the project. Set to be coming from Dishonored and Deathloop's Arkane Studios, the developer addressed rumors surrounding the possible cancellation of Marvel's Blade in June 2026, with Jean-Luc Monnet, lead concept artist and art director assistant, reaffirming it's still the on the way.

In July 2026, however, there was some major restructuring at Xbox, which has sadly seen lots of layoffs, with some studios departing from the Xbox Game Studios list. Among them, Arkane has begun "required consultation", and we're still awaiting word on the future of the studio and Blade. At this time, though, it's still believed to be on the way, and it's expected that Blade's gameplay will be stealth and combat-focused, given the nature of the Marvel Comics' character.

Look ahead to future releases with our roundups of all the most exciting upcoming PS5 games, upcoming PC games, or upcoming Xbox Series X games on the way.

To celebrate QuakeCon 2022 kicking off today, a bunch of classic Bethesda and Id Software games are now available on PC Game Pass.

As Bethesda revealed on Twitter, a total of six legacy Bethesda games have made their way to PC Game Pass: Wolfenstein 3D, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Quake 4, Quake Champions, An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire, and The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. There's also an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate bundle that unlocks all characters in Quake Champions.

Alongside these Game Pass additions, there's a sale going on offering some seriously juicy discounts on more modern Bethesda games like Deathloop (60% off), Ghostwire: Tokyo (50% off), Doom Eternal (60% off), The Elder Scrolls Online (70% off), and loads more. You can head to Steam to see the complete list of PC discounts or open up the PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch stores to see what's available across different platforms.

As we mentioned earlier, the online-only QuakeCon 2022 got started today with a jam-packed schedule full of streams covering games like Redfall, The Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and, of course, Quake. There's also a Fallout 4 charity run, a PC building show, tournaments, and a whole lot more planned. 

Head to Twitch to tune into the show or check the full schedule to see if there's anything you need to add to your calendar. Fun fact: QuakeCon originally started life as an internet chatroom in the early 90s, so it's cool to see how much it's blossomed in the three decades since.

Here are all of the new games of 2022 we can't wait to get our hands on.

The idea for QuakeCon originally came from an internet chatroom between fans and developers who wanted to play iD Software’s games together. 

As detailed in issue 227 of Retro Gamer, QuakeCon was born in an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) room in the early 90s. Run for fans, by fans, the iD Software specific chat room was mainly used for people to discuss the likes of Doom and Quake during the early years of the internet. However, what many fans didn’t know back in the day was that developers from iD Software - such as John Romero and Christian Antkowoften - often lurked in the chat and sometimes even talked with players. 

"It blew people’s minds," long-time fan and chat room moderator David 'Wino' Miller says. "Somehow it got out that the developers hung out in that channel and it blew up from 100 to around 1,000 people just waiting to hear a developer jump in and say something about the game."

This, according to the Retro Gamer story, is how QuakeCon initially got its start. Following the IRC room popularity, it was suggested that Quake fans should organise local area network (LAN) party - which, for those of you too young to remember what a LAN party is, was simply just an in-person get together to play games online via dial up - which is how the first QuakeCon was born back in 1996. 

The first ever QuakeCon took place in the La Quinta Inn in Garland, Texas, with around 40 attendees. Which is quite the jump considering the last in-person QuakeCon - held in 2019 - instead featured more than 10,000 attendees. David, who with a few others organised the first event, reminisces in the Retro Gamer story explaining: "I didn’t think a lot of the hotels knew what we were asking for and what kind of power issues we needed." 

According to David, "the network was not a sophisticated network. Before ethernet became the standard, we had a different one called BNC. The problem with that network is when one person disconnects from it, the whole thing goes down. Games would stop. Tournaments would die. That happened a couple of times during the event."

You can find out more about the history of QuakeCon in issue 227 of Retro Gamer - pick up the latest issue of Retro Gamer here. 

Id Software's parent company, ZeniMax, has posted a raft of new job vacancies, sending the rumor mill into overdrive, with many speculating that the new hires may be working on a new Quake game.

A leap? Ordinarily, maybe. But ZeniMax has emphasized that the new positions – which are based at id's Dallas studio in Texas – will be supporting "the development of a long-running iconic action FPS", as well as reference "sci-fi and fantasy environments".

So: what could that "iconic action FPS" be? Well, given Avalanche leads on the Rage franchise and Wolfenstein is currently in the hands of Machine Games, that leaves just Doom and Quake under id's potential management. But given the former franchise only released its latest installment last year – and "sci-fi and fantasy environments" seem more fitting with Quake… well. You can see why Quake fans are excited. 

That's not all, though. It's an important time for Quake given the second game celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, and the enhanced edition of the original game has only recently been released, suggesting the franchise might be on the priority list for new parent company, Microsoft. Of course, there's no way to know for sure – I suspect ZeniMax won't be confirming any time soon – but hey, it's fun to dream, right?

ICYMI, that enhanced edition of the original Quake is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch. There are updated visuals, online and local multiplayer, and new content available, plus two expansions for the original game - The Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity - are included in all purchases. You'll also get the Dimensions of the Past and the brand new Dimension of the Machine expansions, too.

"I knew the game was going to do really well," John Romero told us earlier this year, reflecting on how Quake came to be. 

"For a whole year before it came out, there were articles all over the place and magazine covers – everyone was waiting for Quake. People knew it was going to be the next thing. So it was great to have that kind of hype. When it came out and everybody was playing it, it was great for me because I was putting together a new company, and you always want to have a success when you're trying to do that. 

"The negatives were that I didn't actually get any money from Quake because I was gone, but the positives were that I got to leave after making a really successful game." 

Did the updated version of Quake make it onto our list of the best FPS games?

Following the news that Quake is being enhanced and re-released for modern platforms to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this legendary shooter from id Software, we thought some of you might like a little history lesson. This making of Quake from the pages of Retro Gamer explores the turbulent development of an FPS classic.

While many gamers didn't become aware of id Software until the release of the firm's genre defining IP Doom in 1993, it had actually been developing first-person shooters for several years before the arrival of its breakthrough title. Furthermore, prior to id's formation the company's founders had spent close to a decade in games development honing their respective skills on an impressive number of releases. 

After conquering mainstream gaming with Doom, id next produced a well-received sequel in 1994 with Doom 2 and, buoyed by the follow-up's success, the nine-man team moved on to their next project – Quake – with a belief that they were unstoppable, as id co-founder John Romero recalls. "We had been making games for over 10 years before Wolfenstein, so we were already experts before we got together," Romero beams. "We used to make games in two months – we made 11 games in 1991. so we were fast. Wolfenstein was four people, and it took us four months to make. We got Doom done mostly with only five people, and then we got a sixth person during the last few months. With Quake, there were only nine of us, but by that time everyone on the team was awesome." 

Lovecraft calling

Beyond Quake's striking name, the well-oiled machine known as id further differentiated its latest concept from the Doom franchise when one of Romero's fellow designers introduced him to the Gothic horror writings of cult author H. P. Lovecraft. "Sandy Petersen was a huge H. P. Lovecraft fan," Romero remembers. "I had heard his name, but I thought he was just a classic writer. Sandy basically said: 'Oh, no, no.' He gave me these Chaosium books, and when I read them I was mind-destroyed; I was just blown away by the monsters. so Quake was very inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, as I'd just been exposed to him." 

But in order to do justice to Lovecraft's nightmarish fiction, Quake's newfound aesthetic would need to be underpinned by cutting-edge tech, as Romero and his Quake team soon became aware of. "The idea was that we were going to have a full-3D engine that was on the internet and was scriptable in its own language," Romero explains. "We had never done this before, so it was a big technical undertaking, and since we were doing so much new with this engine we thought: 'Well, what can we do that's new in game design? Let's not tie ourselves to what we've done in the past with military themes, but maybe get closer to D&D with Quake'." 

However, the sheer complexity of building the tech for Quake resulted in a situation where its engine continually evolved over the course of a year, which hardly helped Romero's efforts to manage the game's design process. "There were ideas of abstract environments – medieval type stuff – but there wasn't any written-down design for Quake during its first year," Romero says of the game's initial design push. "So by November the team was really burned out trying to make a game that didn't really have an identity. They were making a lot of levels and having to delete them and start over because the engine was getting better. But when we got to the end of November, the engine was ready, and so now we could actually design a game around it." 

With Quake's underlying tech finally in place, Romero was ready to move on from what he viewed as R&D into full development and to create a game design that matched the innovation of id's recently completed engine. Unfortunately, his exhausted design team felt otherwise. "We had a big company meeting to decide whether we were going to slap Doom-style weapons in and make it a classic FPS, or experiment with some new game design ideas," says Romero. "Some people in the team just said: 'You know what? I'm broken, and I can't do it anymore.' They wanted to just throw Doom-style weapons in there and call it a day. I mean, obviously we were going to make them as good as we could, but we weren't going to be pushing game design in a new direction. So, when that decision was made, I basically decided that I was going to be leaving when the game was over." 

One last ride

But far from letting this decision sour his approach to Quake's design, Romero instead tried to inject the maximum innovation possible into the project's best level designs, all while respecting the framework established by previous id first-person shooters. "Basically my job after that meeting was to design the game around what we had at that point that made sense and was good," Romero considers. "The guiding light was that we had four 'dimensions' – each one designed by one of the designers. so i designed something very similar to what the game came out to, but a more complex version that had more story elements. But after a month or two of us cranking out levels, I had to simplify it even further because of how long it was taking us. So I basically had to ditch the RPG stuff and just make it a pure shooter." 

Of course, without the story elements that Romero had intended to connect Quake's wildly differing levels together with, the developer was left with something of a design challenge, which he ultimately resolved by making his game's hero an inter-dimensional, time-travelling soldier. "I was like: 'Ok, we need to tie all these episodes together somehow; somehow you're going between episodes,'" he says. "'Well, why aren't you a military dude?' and if you were a military dude you needed to be in a military environment and to leave that military environment to enter these 'dimensions.' So I was like: 'I need to come up with a teleporter for this game that doesn't just take you to somewhere in space, but somewhere in time to different dimensions.' So I came up with the name 'slipgate,' and told the artists: 'this is what i'm building. Can you make textures that fit this?'" 

Undeterred by the back-to-basics approach forced on Quake's design process, Romero opted to focus on the innovations made possible by the game's highly impressive engine, and in particular its ability to render truly three-dimensional environments. "The goal of Quake's level design was that we needed to explore verticality as much as possible," Romero enthuses, "so you could be under a bridge but be on top of that bridge later. That was a massive change from anything that we had done before, so designing vertically was really important. I had a rule for the designers that if they created a room in Quake and it could be replicated in Doom then they had failed. Every room needed to show the dimensionality of the engine. We were forcing the player to worry more about the environment on multiple planes, instead of like with Doom where your plane was always the horizontal. We were pushing players into the next dimension by enforcing a vertical design." 

Equally cool creatures were also being created for Quake, with aesthetics inspired by the macabre imagination of author H.P. Lovecraft, including a living thunderstorm that id dubbed the shambler. "We likened it to an arch-vile in Doom," Romero continues. "He was basically a really tough monster in the first episode – the real boss was Chthon at the end. The shambler was still really tough in the other episodes, but we gave him away in the first episode, not as a boss but as a mini-boss. We gave the player the shambler to go against because maybe they would think that it was the boss, but then we really showed them what a boss was in Chthon." 

One of the most obvious outcomes of Quake's vertical level design came in the form of platforming challenges, which Romero and his team integrated into their game's core objectives of continually powering-up and completing levels by finding their exits. "Even on the very first level, you got into a dark room where you were coming down ramps, and there was one hundred health up there. the only way to get it was to do some crazy platform-hopping," Romero says of an early vertical challenge in Quake. 

"There were little pegs sticking out of the walls, and if you could jump from peg to peg and get all the way up there you could get the health. There was another level with a room that had these pieces of stone that came out of the wall that you had to jump up the sides of the wall on. It was like going up stairs, but you had to platform jump to get up and out of the room." 

More sophisticated platforming standards followed as the Quake team implemented impressive set pieces spanning everything from retracting drawbridges to deadly elevators. "One of the things that we got to do in Quake was take the player on a ride," says Romero. "So they could walk onto a platform and it would just start moving. One thing that I did was take them in an elevator. When they pressed the button they were locked in, it started going down and it took them underwater, and all of a sudden they started dying. It was perfectly timed for them to come up out of the water at the end and pick up health, but they were panicking the whole time because they didn't know what was going to happen!" 

Romero's elevator ride was far from Quake's only use of an underwater environment; in fact, the Quake team filled their game with sub-aquatic challenges. These favoured gameplay over realism and allowed players to be as trigger-happy underwater as on land. "The only limitation was that if you had the Lightning Gun underwater you were dead if you used it – unless you were invulnerable," he says. "Gameplay was totally a priority. The only difference was that you moved a little slower than on land. But no one would have wanted to go in the water if we had lessened their ability to shoot the weapons. So it made it way more fun to be able to just do what you did on land." 

This thinking also followed through to Quake's hidden areas and levels, which were as likely to be found at the bottom of murky lakes as in equally obscure above-water locations. "Putting secret areas in the game made it replayable," argues Romero. "It made it so players would search all over the place and spend more time on the levels, which would help them understand them more. Typically, we hid the next most powerful weapon in a secret area so that you could get it early. There was also an exit to a whole secret level somewhere, and if you could find that exit then you had found an entire level of cool stuff." 

Creature comforts

Given the threat posed by Chthon, not to mention Quake's other nightmarish bosses, it must have been tempting to demand legendary firefights of players in order to defeat them but, as with previous design decisions, Romero chose innovation over expectation. "Chthon was unlike any boss that we'd had in any of our games," he says. "He was a huge lava creature that you couldn't just shoot to death, you know, you had to actually use lightning against him. so you were using the environment against the boss. Shub-Niggurath was the ultimate 'how do i kill that thing?', which you did just by paying attention to the environment and what was going on, and trying to figure out how you would kill him." 

Unlike Quake's bosses, the game's less challenging opponents could be shot to death, although the weapons Romero's team designed for their game included a couple of particularly visceral bullet-free options. "The nail-gun was one of the first weapons that we created," Romero reveals. "We hadn't seen one in a game, and we were joking around that it would be hilarious to just shoot nails at people! The axe was basically because in the first design you were going to be hatcheting characters. So the axe was a holdover from the medieval design, and the nail-gun was a holdover from the experimentation during the medieval phase." 

An equally gruesome but more elemental instrument of death followed, as Quake's medieval origins prompted Romero to dream up a gun that fired bolts of lightning. "I thought it was different and powerful because of the way that you could hold people up in the air with it," he continues, "and you could use it really fast. The really cool thing for me was how it could be like a BFG as well. I thought: 'Well, if it affects everyone in the room, what if you jump in the water and discharge and that blows up everyone in the water?' We didn't have anything like that, and it felt like a really good way to make a multi-function weapon." 

In order to compliment Quake's imaginative set of weapons, Romero and his design team also devised a range of power-ups, including one to enhance the weaponry that subsequently became synonymous with Quake thanks to the arrival of the game's box-art. "Originally, it was just going to be a rune that had 4X on it," he says. "It gave you whatever your weapon's damage was times-four for 30 seconds, and that was it. Then when we got the Quake logo it obviously had to be 'Quad Damage' because of the 'Q.' So we made that model. The Quad was like: 'What if we could do the Berserk from Doom, but on everything?' With Doom, you picked up the Berserk pack, and from the time you picked it up until you were dead your fist would destroy stuff. So my thought was: 'What if you could pick up something that gave you crazy amounts of power like the Berserk for every weapon you had, but on a 30-second timer?'" 

Tearing id apart

In the months following id's final changes to Quake, the game released to positive reviews that only fell slightly short of the dizzy expectations created by the pre-release buzz that had surrounded the game. Quake did go on to sell in its millions, however, regardless of the critical response, although Romero stuck to his decision to part ways with id Software, and so didn't see a penny of profit for his work on the title. 

"I knew the game was going to do really well," says Romero. "For a whole year before it came out, there were articles all over the place and magazine covers – everyone was waiting for Quake. People knew it was going to be the next thing. So it was great to have that kind of hype. When it came out and everybody was playing it, it was great for me because I was putting together a new company, and you always want to have a success when you're trying to do that. The negatives were that I didn't actually get any money from Quake because I was gone, but the positives were that I got to leave after making a really successful game." 

John Romero remains equally philosophical about his last, and arguably greatest, id FPS when asked for his thoughts on Quake now, although the fact that the developer's hopes for the game were repeatedly scaled back is still a matter of some regret, as is the knowledge that Quake was essentially responsible for breaking up the original id team. "I would have had a more cohesive design and spent more time during 1995 getting a design down that was more solid and could have improved upon the FPS instead of just making another FPS," Romero admits. "It also really needed to have better weapon balance, with more focus on the weak weapons. But I'm super proud of Quake; I think it's a great game. It's just too bad that it tore id apart because it was so hard to make. After Quake, within six months of its release, half the company was gone."

An unreleased Super Mario Bros. 3 port for the PC has been obtained by the National Museum of Play.

As first reported by Ars Technica yesterday on July 13, the museum has managed to obtain the incredibly rare unreleased port from id Software. This port was first assembled by id Software in 1990, before the developer had even released Doom, and was intended to enable Super Mario Bros. 3 to run on MS-DOS PCs.

Previously, this PC port of the NES classic has only ever been referenced, never seeing the light of day. According to Ars Technica's report, it was first revealed in 2003's Masters of Doom book, and would then be seen running for the first time in 2015, in a video released by id Software co-founder and lead designer John Romero.

The National Museum of Play Digital Games Curator Andrew Borman tells Ars Technica that it was actually a game developer who donated the unreleased demo to the museum. Borman reveals that the developer in question, who remains unnamed, never actually worked on the demo itself, but they instead "received it" during their work, for some unknown reason.

The demo itself is said to be a pretty early prototype from developer id Software, and certain features lack polish, as you'd probably expect from a PC port of a game that was released earlier that same year in 1990. It's revealed that Borman himself has played levels 1-1 through 1-4 of Super Mario Bros. 3 himself, but the curator never elaborates on just how much of the Nintendo classic game is featured on the demo disc.

Going forward, Borman revealed that the demo will actually be available to researchers upon request. There might not be any current plans to actually exhibit the unreleased PC demo of Super Mario Bros. 3 anywhere in the National Museum of Play itself, but it's fascinating that the demo has resurfaced after all these years, and that researchers and other academics might even be able to play the demo for themselves.

If you're interested in Nintendo's storied history, head over to our Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island retrospective for more.

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.

Id Software executive producer and Doom Eternal director Marty Stratton has revealed that the Doom development team has talked to Nintendo about bringing Doomguy to Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Speaking to Metro, Stratton was asked to comment on the rumors about Doom Slayer coming to Smash Bros. Ultimate, to which he replied, "I don't know. We've asked them." Stratton continued:

"We’ve had… I don’t even know who talked to who, but we’ve bantered with them. We have a great relationship with them through bringing Doom 2016 to Switch and that kind of stuff. So we have great people over there but it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool?’ But it’s never gone anywhere serious, so we’ll see."

Stratton clarifies that id Software haven't been asked for the rights to bring Doomguy to Smash Bros., but says they're open to the idea.

It's hard to imagine a character we're so used to seeing covered and surrounded in blood come to Smash Bros., and quite frankly I'm worried about the innocence of fighters like Pikachu, Villager, and Bowser Jr.

Just a couple of days after Stratton made the comments on Doomguy and Smash Bros., Nintendo revealed that Fire Emblem's Byleth would be the next Smash Bros. Ultimate roster addition. A recent leak says the next fighter coming to Smash Bros. could be none other than Crash Bandicoot.

Still looking for your main? Here's how to unlock every Smash Bros. Ultimate character and how to win with every character.

id Software president Todd Hollenshead has departed after 17 years with the company. Hollenshead was formerly CEO of the studio which produced the Doom and Quake franchises, though his position changed when the company was bought out by Bethesda parent ZeniMax Softworks in 2009.

"After many years with the studio, Todd Hollenshead decided to leave id Software to pursue other personal interests," Bethesda VP of marketing Pete Hines told IGN. "While Todd was not part of the development teams, he was an integral part of id Software’s success as the business head of the studio and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors."

id's had a rough couple of years since joining the ZeniMax family: long-awaited shooter Rage was poorly received and Doom 4 has reportedly mired in development hell for years.

Doom 4 is in its own special Hell on Earth--development hell. Kotaku reports that the first new game in id Studio's core franchise since Doom 3 in 2004 has been revised several times over five years of development, with little to show for it today.

Kotaku's sources say the game is now targeted for next-generation consoles, with no known release date.

You should check out the full story for the gorey details on Doom 4's troubled development--from a lackluster Call of Duty approach to RAGE issues when the two teams combined. id Software confirmed that the long-awaited horror shooter has been rebooted at least once.

“An earlier version of Doom 4 did not exhibit the quality and excitement that id and Bethesda intend to deliver and that Doom fans worldwide expect,” Bethesda said in a statement. “As a result, id refocused its efforts on a new version of Doom 4 that promises to meet the very high expectations everyone has for this game and this franchise. When we’re ready to talk about the Doom 4 id is making, we will let folks know.”

Despite only being eight years old, Doom 3's decidedly brutal and unforgiving approach may well lead some newer gamers class it as a bit creaky these days. Having just played the new Gamescom demo of the new and upgraded BFG Edition though, we’re as impressed as we ever were. Moreso, in fact.

It’s smooth, it's slick, and – exacerbated by some excellent surround sound headphones – still damnably scary. In fact, particularly for console gamers, it's likely to be the best it's ever looked or played. While the original Xbox port was a nicely executed 'quart into a pint pot' conversion, the 360 version is every bit as accomplished as the original release, which obviously required the best of everything when it first appeared on the PC in 2005.

The demo allows 3D viewing, although we were playing it through a ‘passive’ 3D display (the polarised kind you get in the cinema, rather than the more expensive active shutter set-up) , which apparently requires a much greater effort to set up to secure the optimal viewing distance. After a bit of a faff, we did get it working and discovered it runs at a decent lick of speed, although not quite the wonderful 60fps of 2D mode. So we switched back.

In 2D mode, however, the game positively shines. Sure, it’s made up of about 80% shadows, but if shadows could shine then... Anyway, the relentless attack of zombies, hell hounds and floating demon heads is a startling reminder that games these days have made us weak from all that hand-holding. The demo has loads of weapons unlocked and ready to roll, from a meaty but slow-loading shotgun through to plasma rifle and frag grenades.

So confident are Bethesda that their console versions are up to scratch, they don't even have the PC version present at the show. The console version runs at a frightening pace. And there’s something about the always-powerful atmosphere that’s still evoked by the now slightly blocky rendering of hell that makes Doom 3 feel as fresh and new as it ever did.

We can take or leave the 3D. As is often the case, it doesn’t have much real effect on the overall experience. But seeing the game ported so expertly to the Xbox 360 suddenly makes us wonder whether pushing the envelope is really necessary any more. Old graphics with strong production and atmospheric design can still look sensational. And of course, after years of Halo-style regenerating health bars, getting down to your last 2 points of vitality without a free recovery in sight is a tautly compelling experience all over again.

You’re fighting for your life, in the dark, against teeth-gnashing demon babies, with absolutely no help in sight. And we’d forgotten how great that is.

The great-grandaddy of first-person shooters, Wolfenstein 3D, today celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Released in 1992, the game gave rise to a fledgling studio of plucky young upstarts called id software, who later went on to make a little game called Doom. (Perhaps you've heard of it?) While that game is perhaps the better known of the two, Wolfenstein 3D is considered the birth of the genre that continues to be the cornerstone of gaming to this day.

To mark the occasion, Bethesda is giving away the entire iOS version of Wolfenstein 3D for the princely sum of naught. Ziltch. Free. Go ahead, download the entire game right now and shoot Nazis on the bus. Don't have an iDevice? No problem, just head here to play the game in your web browser. Everybody wins!

Also, be sure to check out Bethesda's special video podcast, which sees John Carmack revisiting the game and explaining the design process. It's an insightful watch.

Question is, does Wolfenstein 3D still hold up today? Or is merely a dusty digital relic? Let us know in the comments.

August 2-5 the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas will host QuakeCon 2012, the world’s largest BYOC (bring your own computer) LAN party. Attendance is free, hotel rooms are discounted, and there’ll be computers to be shared by those without, thanks to id, Bethesda, and all their sponsors. Who knows what great prizes and announcements will come out of the ‘con? Maybe id will finally have something concrete to say about Doom IV?

In addition to multiplayer madness, QuakeCon offers panels with influential id software employees like John Carmack and Todd Hollenshead. If you need further convincing to get your ass to Dallas, check out above highlights from last year’s QuakeCon. To truly stay updated on all things Quake, follow QuakeCon on Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re serious about going to this thing, you’d better book a hotel room now. The Hilton Anatole Hotel is offering a discounted rate of $154 a night, and the QuakeCon site has plenty of reservation info. Remember to pack plenty of rockets, nails, and body armor, and if you see John Carmack, could you ask him when we’re getting Doom IV?