Summary
Recent evidence may point to the nextDoomgame being revealed very soon. The last entry in the franchise,Doom Eternal, launched four years ago, giving developer id Software enough time to potentially have an announcement ready for the next title.
Launched in 1993, theDoomseries was a revolution in the industry, having been one of the first examples of 3D graphics in games. Creator id Software rebooted the franchise with 2016’sDoom, which was a major success thanks to its “rip and tear” gameplay and composer Mick Gordon’sexcellent heavy metal soundtrack. It was followed up with 2020’sDoom Eternal, which doubled the launch weekend revenue of its predecessor. Developer id bolsteredEternalwith two DLCs dubbedThe Ancient Gods Part OneandTwoby 2021.
It’s been a long time since then, and many speculate about what id Software has been working on. A 2023 leak claimed that the studio was working on anewDoomgame dubbedDoom Year Zero, which remains unconfirmed. However, recent clues may suggest that the reveal of id’s next game could be imminent.The Verge recently publisheda report with alleged insights into the Xbox business, and the end of the report stated, “Microsoft will be banking on some new game announcements lifting theDoomaround Xbox.”
The June Xbox Games Showcase May Hold All the Answers
The sentence obviously refers to the upcoming announcements at theXbox Games Showcase on June 9, but the capitalization and italicization of the word “Doom” appear to hint at the nextDoomgame being featured in the show. Moreover, a recently discoveredZenimax trademark(viaClawsomegamer) for a game labeled “IDKFA” has further fueled the speculative fire forDoomfans, as IDKFA is a cheat code from the 1990sDoomgames. While trademarks aren’t always accurate indicators of impending game reveals, the surrounding evidence, as well as the four-odd years since the lastDoomtitle, do lend credence to the speculation.
Developer id Software has always pushed technical boundaries withDoomgames, but one of the most iconic aspects about them is their flexibility with hardware, both big and small. The best example of this is the original1993Doomgame being ported to a lawnmower.Doom Eternalexemplified this as well, having been released on every single platform from the handheld Nintendo Switch to the current-gen PS5. It’ll be interesting to see whether the nextDoomgame upholds this tradition, as it’ll most likely be developed only for current-gen hardware, and may even be exclusive to Xbox and PC.
