Why Did id Software Cancel 'Doom 4'?

In an interview with GameSpot, id Software designer Kevin Cloud, who’s responsible for making many of the creative decisions for the game, said Doom 4 was canceled because it did not feel like a Doom game.

“We explored a direction and got to a certain point and felt like this really wasn’t capturing what we felt like was going to be a strong Doom and what the fans would want from it,” Cloud said.

Producer Marty Stratton even joked saying Doom 4 had a “Call of Doom” feel to it, he said, referencing Activision’s Call of Duty series.

“It was much closer to something like that type of game,” he said. “A lot more cinematic; a lot more story to it. A lot more characters around you that you were with throughout the course of the game. Definitely a different setting - it took place on Earth.”

Doom 4 was going to have unbelievable production, Stratton said. The game didn’t feel like a Doom game because it involved fighting zombies in early sections of the game.

This definitely took a twist on Doom that turned it into a cinematic, scripted type of experience. “It was reimagine of Doom in a way that was new,” he said.

This isn’t the first time id Software have talked about why Doom 4 was canceled. Back in 2014, studio director Tim Willits said Doom 4 “didn’t have…passion and soul.”

Doom 4 was originally announced in May 2008 via a press release, though the project was scrapped in 2011. Bethesda also said that the development of the game had been rebooted, after sources claimed the original version of Doom 4 had many elements from shooters such as Call of Duty.

The latest version, called Doom, would launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in May 2015. The latest Doom update introduced a number of new features to its multiplayer mode. In addition, bot support has been added, allowing you to play against AI-controlled enemies.​