What's Next For The 'Doom' Franchise?

The release of “The Ancient Gods Part 2” has marked an end to the Doom Slayer’s crusade in the 2016 reboot storyline, but there’s still plenty more in store for fans in the franchise. Id Software said that there are more stories to tell, hinting at possibly more DLC in the future.

The end of the Slayer’s story doesn’t necessarily mean the end of “Doom,” creative director Hugo Martin told Polygon.

“While this is the end of the story arc that began in Doom (2016), we planted a lot of stakes in the ground with that story,” Martin said.

“Doom” is a game that focuses more on gameplay rather than story. The original games from the 1990s contained little-to-no story elements, and even the following sequels and reboots had only basic story elements.

On the other hand, “Doom Eternal” featured more lore than any of the previous “Doom” games combined. Id Software went all-out with the storytelling in this entry, shedding some light on the Slayer’s back story as well as a two new faction in the form of the Night Sentinels and “Doom Eternal’s” version of “Heaven.”

The freshly-established universe sets the stage for a plethora of new stories in the future.

In a video posted on Twitter, Id Software executive producer Marty Stratton noted that more “Doom Eternal” updates will be coming in the future. Martin mentioned that the Slayer’s story is only an “arc,” hinting at the possibility of other playable characters in the future.

However, this could mean that future DLCs will be set prior to the events of the 2016 reboot with the Slayer as the main character. The original concept for “Doom (2016)” was supposed to focus on ordinary humans fighting off an invasion from Hell.

This idea was scrapped because the developers thought it was inappropriate for a “Doom” game, PC Gamer noted. In a documentary about “Doom (2016)’s” development, Martin implied that they wanted to focus on how the Slayer is involved in one big event and not the other way around.

More news regarding DLC and the future of the franchise will be coming soon as Id Software makes more announcements.