For the past five years, famed development studio id Software has been hard at work bringing one of the most influential first-person-shooter franchises of all time back to life, DOOM. DOOM has been noteworthy for decades, with many titles released under the franchise banner, all mostly held within the same high-quality standard. Even though id Software as a studio was in the midst of seeing dramatic staff and leadership changes for decades, their general quality standards never faulted too hard – at least for DOOM.
Over the past year, id Software has made DOOM go out with a major bang with DOOM Eternal and The Ancient Gods DLC packs. The three separate experiences combine into the definitive DOOM experience of a generation. With stellar gameplay mechanics coupled with phenomenally designed levels and combat encounters, it’s understandable why many gamers rank DOOM Eternal as one of the greatest games of not only 2020 but the generation as a whole.
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Even with the massive success of both DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal underneath id Software’s belt, DOOM still had some rocky points around this period. Releases like DOOM VFR were a tad disappointing for those craving a full, modern DOOM experience in VR. The multiplayer offerings for both games felt rather lackluster to certain fans. Nevertheless, id Software put their all into the single-player offerings of modern DOOM, crafting a meticulous shooter experience that satiated hardcore retro shooter fans’ hunger. With more shooters going in a more cinematic direction in the AAA space, it was a breath of fresh air to see a big-budget release put its gameplay first above anything else.
With the recent release of DOOM Eternal‘s The Ancient Gods Part 2 expansion – concluding the “Slayer Saga” of DOOM games – the next question players have is where will id go next? It’s rather obvious that DOOM will return in one way or another in the future, and id Software themselves stated that they’re not done bringing updates to DOOM Eternal, but where could id go next in this recent revival of retro-styled shooters?
Many companies like New Blood Interactive have been seeing massive success launching totally new shooter games designed with a classic feel. Titles such as DUSK, AMID EVIL, ULTRAKILL, and the soon-to-be-released GLOOMWOOD take hefty inspiration from old PC games like Thief, Quake, and yes, even DOOM. New Blood’s releases have proven that there’s a dedicated market for new IP that feels like older titles, meaning that id Software could possibly follow within those footsteps to release a brand-new IP to further the development ideologies of the modern DOOM series.
While seeing new releases from id Software would be awesome, some people understandably want Quake to make a comeback. The classic 3D shooter series started strong with many popular, well-received titles in its early years. The fast-paced combat encounters combined with grueling environments and – in the case of the first game – a devastating soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails, Quake has been hailed as one of the greatest shooters of its generation. Unfortunately, Bethesda hasn’t really done much with Quake recently. Quake has always seen massive success from its multiplayer-only offerings, yet many long for an awesome single-player campaign like the first two entries. As time went on, Quake largely became a multiplayer-only affair with titles like Quake III: Arena and eventually returning to its single-player roots – but with more design elements taken from DOOM 3 – with Quake IV. Since the release of Quake IV, the series has been largely stagnant, with only the free-to-play multiplayer title, Quake Champions, to carry the franchise name.
Many would agree that Quake Champions is a great shooter experience, yet it lacks a dedicated player base to get the most amount of fun out of it. From the outside looking in, Quake looks to be in a tad bit of trouble in terms of retaining its industry relevancy. Although the classic id Software we know no longer exists, with all of those original developers have moved on to other projects, the current id still knows how to craft an amazing retro-styled experience. Seeing Quake rise back up into mainstream popularity would not only prove that the current wave of DOOM releases wasn’t just a fluke for modern id Software, but it would additionally revive a franchise many fans have been dying to see a return to the spotlight.
Seeing Quake return isn’t entirely unrealistic. With the conclusion of DOOM‘s “Slayer Saga” and the recent Bethesda acquisition from Microsoft, a new Quake title would have all the possible resources needed to get off the ground and rock just as hard as the last few DOOM games. Additionally, a new Quake game would pose few risks due to Microsoft’s dedication to the Game Pass platform, releasing brand-new first-party titles day-and-date on the service for subscribers. If Quake saw a comeback, Game Pass alone would help ensure its success.
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