Troubled Doom 4 gets next-gen reboot

Work on Doom 4 was completely rebooted by developer Id Software at the end of 2011.

That’s according to Kotaku, which describes the game as being “in trouble” as it approaches its fifth year in development.

“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,” said Bethesda vice president of marketing and PR Pete Hines.

“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.”

It was originally being developed as a re-imagining of Doom 2 and saw players joining a resistance movement helping to protect the Earth from invaders. A cinematic approach had been taken, leading to some staff internally referring to it as “Call of Doom”.

However, some felt that the action sequences detracted from the game’s strengths – the understated horror elements.

Apparently the game was being developed in tandem with Rage, which was eventually released in 2011. Development of that title allegedly distracted management from the troubles engulfing the Doom team.

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