Doom Sequel 'Dark Ages' Launches May 15... "Focus on Intense Power Struggle"

Id Software, the pioneer of first-person shooter (FPS) games, expressed confidence in the upcoming DOOM series installment, "The Dark Ages," set to be released on May 15, calling it "the best DOOM game we have ever made."

On the 22nd (Korean time), Marty Stratton, the executive producer, and Hugo Martin, the director, confirmed the release date during a video interview with domestic and international media. The Dark Ages is a prequel that continues the legacy of DOOM, known as the origin of FPS games, and tells the backstory of the protagonist "Doom Slayer" from the previous title, DOOM Eternal. The game is distributed by Bethesda, a subsidiary of Microsoft (MS).

The development team emphasized that The Dark Ages features a more "weighty power struggle" compared to its predecessor. Notably, the new equipment "Shield Saw" allows players to block enemy attacks or sweep away hordes of foes. Alongside the iconic firearms of The Dark Ages, melee weapons such as a flail, an electrified gauntlet (large armored glove), and a mace also appear.

The team explained that the control system was designed intuitively so that anyone can easily engage in combat using the weapons. Director Martin said, "Many people found DOOM Eternal too difficult. I believe it was because the control scheme was complicated rather than the game’s difficulty itself," adding, "By revisiting the classic DOOM series, we learned how to design a game that is intuitive, simple, yet challenging."

Martin also stated, "I wanted to create an interesting world like 'The Lord of the Rings' or the films directed by George Lucas and give that world a history." Accordingly, in The Dark Ages, players can pilot a 30-story-tall giant robot called 'Atlan' and punch giant demons to the ground. They can also freely fly around riding mechanical dragons.

However, this installment does not include the multiplayer feature present in previous titles. Producer Stratton said, "This game was developed exclusively as a single-player campaign from the beginning, which allowed us to freely create a variety of experiences."

The development team confirmed the release date of The Dark Ages as May 15.