For this year’s annual QuakeCon, id Software and Bethesda Softworks are joining forces to celebrate the “Year of Doom.” QuakeCon is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Doom franchise during the four-day event, which includes “Doom inspired activities, events, exclusives, developer panels, hands-on demos, new information about Doom Eternal, and few surprises we aren’t quite ready to talk about,” organizers said to Polygon in April. The event of course is also hosting Quake-centric events, tournaments, and LAN parties.
One of those surprises was Bethesda’s unexpected release of the classic titles Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3 to the digital shops on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. Doom and Doom II are also heading to Android and iOS. Doom and Doom II are $4.99, while Doom 3 is $9.99. Check out the re-release trailer for these titles below.
Unfortunately, this announcement didn’t come without a little controversy. These games are largely single-player, but Bethesda does require players to have Bethesda Net accounts and be logged on to the internet (or execute some work-arounds) in order to play these Doom games. The decision hasn’t been a popular one on social media platforms.
After the backlash about the mandatory Bethesda Net login, Bethesda responded on Twitter with an update on July 27th. According to their tweet, Bethesda meant for the login to trigger rewards for members of the “Slayers Club” and was not intended to be mandatory.
The original Doom includes the nine-level “Episode 4: Thy Flesh Consumed” expansion, and Doom II features twenty Master Levels created by the community with developer guidance. Both games feature support for four-player local co-op and deathmatch modes a, which despite the need for a Bethesda Net account is a great fit for the portable Switch. Doom 3 comes with the “Resurrection of Evil” and “Lost Mission” DLC, which together add about 20 levels to the game.
Bethesda also showed off some new gameplay footage for the next installment, Doom Eternal, which is set to launch on November 22nd for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The new Doom Eternal footage showcases new demons and a Battlemode.
Bethesda brought Doom Eternal to this year’s E3, and it placed high on mxdwn’s list of Best Games of E3 2019. Check out our hands-on impressions of the “freight train of violence and shooting” that is Doom Eternal at this year’s E3 here.
QuakeCon: Year of Doom runs from July 25th through July 28th at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, Texas.