Bethesda's original Doom 4 was canned for being "Call of Doom"

Doom

Bethesda Softworks has never been very clear about why it felt the need to shut down the development of Doom 4 and start over from scratch. Marketing Vice President Pete Hines said at the time that the game in its initial state "didn't exhibit the quality and excitement" the studio was looking for, but that's far from specific. However, in a more recent interview with Polygon following last week's unveiling of the new Doom at E3, Hines was more forthcoming, saying that the initial iteration of the game was too far from the original Doom, and too close to a certain very popular modern military shooter.

"We weren't happy with the game that was being made," Hines said. "We decided that it wasn't Doom enough and needed to be thrown out and started over. Some folks left and some faces changed at the studio. Out of that change—which was not easy for those guys to go through—some amazing things happened."

Foremost among those things was the development of id Tech 6, which Hines said wouldn't have happened if the project hadn't been reset. It also resulted in a much-needed influx of new blood at id Software, which "injected a lot of life" into the team.

We got a look at a partial Doom 4 cinematic back in May (which has since been removed over a copyright claim, but for now you can watch it here) and although it's brief, it definitely seems to fit the mold of what Hines described as a "Call of Doom or BattleDoom game," which he said came off more like a reskinned version of a different franchise.

"It wasn't fast enough. The way that the demons worked, the visceralness of the combat, all the stuff you see with the finishing moves and all of that, wasn't part of it at all," he said. "The combat was more disconnected. You almost found yourself taking cover at times and using things from other first-person shooter games which, again, might be fine for them, but for Doom it just didn't feel right."

The full interview runs about 25 minutes, and covers a lot of ground on Fallout 4, Dishonored 2, and The Elder Scrolls: Legends. If you're interested in any of these games (and surely at least one of them does something for you), it's definitely worth watching in full.

TOPICS
PRODUCTS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in FPS
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Oops! Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's Rite of the Nine event three weeks early, and new loot is already dropping
A soldier looks out over the Verdansk map, as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
The original Verdansk map is returning to Call of Duty: Warzone, to celebrate which we get a soldier crying to Nat King Cole
FragPunk codes - A close-up shot of a mercenary wearing a mask with glowing eyes.
All FragPunk codes and how to redeem them
An evil-looking demon with red eyes and horns
You can theoretically beat Doom: The Dark Ages without using a gun, but 'You'd have a hard time, that's for sure,' says the game's director
Latest in News
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Naoe looking at the wrist blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft backflips, says Assassin's Creed Shadows will support Steam Deck at launch, but I doubt I'll actually want to play it there
Henry from KCD2 wearing nice outfits
'Diversify your fashion endgame' with this Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod that gives Henry fly new gambesons, pourpoints, and caftans
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Recently appointed Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Here comes Intel's new CEO: a semiconductor veteran that won the same prestigious award as Jensen Huang and Lisa Su
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Protestors attend the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Picket on August 15, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Lila Seeley/Getty Images)
8 months into their strike, videogame voice actors say the industry's latest proposal is 'filled with alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to AI abuse'