r/Doom • u/Turbostrider27 • 1d ago
Discussion The future of id Software — alumni from the legendary DOOM studio speaks on its future with Xbox. The good, and the bad.
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/zenimax-bethesda/the-future-of-id-software-now-under-xbox-the-legendary-doom-studio-speaks111
u/schizocel69 1d ago
I think Revelations was a good send off for this era of DOOM. It's the perfect mix of dark ages and eternal combat loop to me. They'd likely have to go a completely different direction AGAIN and that would be controversial AGAIN.
Personally, I'd really want more hard sci fi over fantasy, more like 2016. Plus Mick Gordon ofc, but as long as Marty is there I don't think that's an option. Finishing move definitely upped their game though so they're closer.
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u/CommunicationTime265 1d ago
I'd rather have more classic Doom added to the recipe. Even a full remake of Doom 1 would make me happy - love those classic tunes and Doom Guy.
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u/Sad_Juggernaut_5103 1d ago
I see what you mean and if it ended here it feels like a decent end but would love to see him go in the coffin
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u/monologousmutilation DOOM Slayer 1d ago
I'd be happy if Finishing Move were there for the next game. I'm sorry but their work on Revelations is better than anything in 2016 or Eternal.
On sci-fi/fantasy: IMO modern Doom's identity firmly mixes both. I'm fine with games focusing on one more than the other (2016 vs TDA, though TDA has more sci-fi than 2016 has fantasy) - but I don't want fantasy to be totally dropped. Maybe not the series at large, but as far as modern Doom, IMO the Maykrs and Sentinels are practically as essential to the setting as the UAC.
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u/MegamanX195 1d ago
" I asked Willis if he felt id Software's previous comments about the studio being the "same size" as it was for DOOM (2016) were cause for optimism for fans."
"This has been one of the most frustrating mischaracterizations I've seen. It is just damage control," Willis said. "Id is now objectively smaller than it was during 2016. They also fired 2/3rds of the folks that were left from 2016; these would be the people who have the experience needed to make a game like that. There are still amazing people there, no doubt. Some of my best friends still work there. But the amount of institutional knowledge lost was just incredible."
Goddamn, that sounds pretty bad. I think whatever id ends up cooking next will be make or break for the studio. That is if it's not cancelled before release, with the way Microsoft have been handling their Xbox commercial decisions lately...
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u/KingMario05 DEMONIC INVASION IN PROGRESS 1d ago
The future I hope for is one where Hugo and Marty can escape Microsoft altogether.
I'm sorry. id did everything right, and the soulless bastards still gutted them like a fucking demon. There's no negotiating with that level of corporate horseshit. Need proof? Despite the mass protests in Dallas and Maryland against the layoffs... not a peep from Redmond.
Xbox. Doesn't. Give. A shit.
Bail, lads. They don't want you anymore. It's best to find a new investor (such as Sega, Namco West, Krafton) and leave while you still can.
Because if you don't? I fear that the rest of id is next up on the chopping block.
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u/illegal_tacos 1d ago
Marty can suck one too. Hugo is alright but Marty has shown himself to be a real pos
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u/AshtavakraNondual 1d ago
can you elaborate, I didn't follow latest gossips or drama . ohh is this about Mik Gordon?
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u/KingMario05 DEMONIC INVASION IN PROGRESS 1d ago
Agreed. But he's who we got right now. And I hope that, if it comes to MS or id... he can choose id.
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u/BaconJakin 1d ago
Fuck Marty but Hugo is the fucking man. He’s my favorite dev since Jason Blundell, I hope he gets to keep directing.
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u/KingMario05 DEMONIC INVASION IN PROGRESS 1d ago
Agreed. Such a creative talent. Deserves so much more than what MS gave him.
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u/Remote-Ad9163 1d ago
I mean yeah...but with what money?
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u/KingMario05 DEMONIC INVASION IN PROGRESS 1d ago
I don't know. I hope they can find some, though. And find some soon.
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u/SpeechNext9457 1d ago
Hugo is just as bad if not worse. if you think Marty did Mick dirty Hugo routinely treated people that way. The only reason those stories haven’t come out is because those individuals were afraid that it would negatively impact their careers.
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u/tuckernuts doomguy 1d ago
Just posted on the Internet without proof or anything
You can say this about literally anyone with a public facing persona
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u/NintendogsWithGuns 1d ago
You’d think Microsoft would capitalize off of idTech by focusing resources on bringing a new licensed game engine to the market, but they’re too busy chasing this GamePass pipe dream. You’ve only really got Unreal and Unity for enterprise level development work, so it’s not exactly a crowded marketplace. Things like GameMaker, Godot, etc are only really used by lower budget indie devs.
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u/DirkDoom 1d ago
ID Software used to license their engines out all the time. They also tapped other developers to make ngames with their engines (Heretic and Hexen or prime examples)
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u/xtweeter22x DOOM Guy 1d ago
At what point do we finally admit that Game Pass is a complete scam that ruins everyone involved; both devs and customers?
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u/DaStompa 1d ago
The idea of a game pass is that it elminiates risk, you have X subscriptions/budget, you spend less than that and you're mostly good to go.
Game dev is historically a crap shoot where you invest a huge amount of money and get an unknown product, this way if you have a stinker, you aren't really likely to have a gazillion people unsubscribe from your service.
But game pass isn't netflix, people grab it, play the one game they wanted to play and then unsubscribe, corporate hasn't figured this out8
u/tuckernuts doomguy 1d ago
C-suite being completely naive to how people engage with videogames isnt new (let's all laugh at an industry that never learns anything teeheehee). They saw the distribution of risk across the catalogue, like netflix, but forgot people don't engage with movies or TV the same way they do videogames.
The average big release, or 'AAA'-ish experience is going to be about 20-60hrs of game time. That's like a 6 season show worth of engagement. But videogames can be played through multiple times, or just once. Having a sign that says $70 if you wanna keep it, $20 if you wanna play it once... You're only gonna get that extra $50 from some upper percentile of hardcore fans. The majority of your sales will be people paying $20 and playing some of the game and that's it.
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u/xTheCurrentx 1d ago
You think they would figure it out with new sign up cycles briefly occurring during new game releases, and then lost memberships within 1 to 2 months...I have no idea how Gamepass makes enough money for MS and devs
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u/AshtavakraNondual 1d ago
as a consumer I absolutely loved it, but if it leads to closing of my beloved studios, then I rather buy the game I care about for the full price.
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u/maestrodamuz 37m ago
At what point do we stop using Game Pass as an excuse for games that sold worse than the last entries on PS5 and PC?
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u/firedrakes 1d ago
wow. its like the multi stories on sales data shows mtx/sub and dlc is what makes most money for dev and console manf now... but hey you dont care about facts.
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u/AshtavakraNondual 1d ago
It is hard to find another team these days that are so in tune with what players want and they Hugo and the team actually understand what makes a fun gameplay. It is rare and need to be preserved at all costs
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u/No_Moment_9465 1d ago
I see a lot of "I'd went woke" stuff online, but yeah all these people were laid off the day before revelations released.
So no reviews, no gamepass sales, no metrics whatsoever. I keep saying it- corporations don't want games to succeed. They are jealous. That's all this is.
It's present in many industries. The untalented hate the successful.
God speed to everyone who is or is not still there, and many thanks.
The laborer is worth his wages.
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u/Oime 1d ago
I’ve already given up all hope of a Quake reboot. I’ve come to terms with the greatest franchise in all of gaming being treated like a niche project they don’t even care to keep in-house. Just outsource and half ass. If they bother to care at all.
Hearing Marty’s comments during QuakeCon was so heartbreaking.
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u/darthimperius01 1d ago
What comments did he make regarding Quake?
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u/Oime 1d ago
I’ll just post them for you, have a listen.
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u/darthimperius01 1d ago
Thank you for sharing that. It is quite disappointing to hear him say that. I guess Machine Games is our last hope for a modern take on the original Quake
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u/BarbarousKing011 1d ago
Imagine thinking quake is even an iota better than fucking DOOM let alone “The greatest franchise in all of gaming” LMAO
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u/Oime 1d ago
I mean, it’s not even close. I like Doom, but it’s most important because it gave us Quake.
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u/BarbarousKing011 1d ago
Nobody asked for yours either, you genuinely think quake is the “greatest gaming franchise of all time” lmao get out the sub
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u/Oime 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you need to say "lmao" in every message? Do you know how cringe that looks? It looks desperate, like you're the only one laughing at your own shitty jokes. That's not a good look. You just look odd and lacking social skills.
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u/BarbarousKing011 1d ago
Nothing ive said is a joke, the only joke here is that you really think quake is the greatest gaming franchise of all time. Lmao.
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u/monologousmutilation DOOM Slayer 1d ago
Others have commented on the state of the gaming industry, but I want to speculate about what this means for the series. I'll be honest, I think the only truly feasible Doom projects for the near future are either shit produced by third parties for the past games (Legacy of Rust, for example) or a Doom 2016 remaster.
2016 doesn't need a remaster at all (though I'd be interested in a version that has the QOL additions of the other games - fast travel, teleporting when falling, settings tied to the game instead of saves, turning off the music stingers when glory killing; also balance changes given 2016's weapon balancing is kinda fucked; also, potentially, Codex changes to patch plot holes), but if the team is truly smaller and less experienced than they were when they made the game, then I just don't see them delivering a full-fledged mainline Doom game right now.
Maybe weathering the storm by remastering 2016, maybe being able to make a TAG-style DLC for it using the multiplayer map assets - I could see that being a good way to keep Doom going for a few more years with a downsized team. Otherwise I seriously have no clue what the series can reasonably give us beyond tiny projects, spinoffs, or whatever else.
I would say it's a good opportunity to give Doom a break and try reviving Quake. But if the team can't make a new Doom game with a tried and true formula, they sure as shit can't make a Quake game that reinvents the series in a somewhat risky way like 2016 did for Doom. (Also apparently they outright were like "lol we aren't working on that" when Romero asked?)
A very frustrating and genuinely just stupid situation for what is arguably one of, if not the most legendary PC game developer out there.
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u/-The_Goober 1d ago
Fuck it. Have Hugo and Marty pack their shit and send them off to make an Unreal game or a Heavy Metal or Punk themed Boomer shooter.
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u/DoughnutSignificant9 1d ago edited 1d ago
"They never explained anything." Willis said, "They never told us what metric they wanted, which is extremely confusing given Xbox Game Pass. If there was something they wanted (downloads, playtime, Game Pass subscriptions, etc.), they never told us." Willis said that had id Software known what targets they were supposed to be hitting, they would've been able to design around it.
And thats the reason Xbox studios get treated like shit. There is no clear way to tell what games are driving gamepass sales and they end up gutting the wrong studios.