Doom's Bold Shift: Embracing the Single-Player Experience

This discussion provides insight into the development decisions behind the latest Doom installment, focusing on the choice to exclude online competitive play.

The return of Doom in 2016 was celebrated primarily for its engaging campaign, while its online component left many fans unsatisfied. Despite efforts to address these shortcomings in the 2020 follow-up, the additional mode did not resonate well with the audience.

The designers at Id Software chose this time to completely forgo an online multiplayer option in the new Doom release. The team resolved early in development to concentrate all resources on delivering a superior single-player narrative. This decision was driven by a desire to perfect the classic campaign experience without the added complexities of an interconnected gameplay environment.

Another aspect that influenced this decision was a reluctance to turn the game into one that depends on ongoing live-service updates—a model commonly used to support online modes today. The development team favored a more traditional approach, steering clear of continuous online engagement requirements.

Players have reason to be excited as the game is set for release on May 15, with availability via Game Pass from its launch day.