Summary
- Doom: The Dark Ages won't end the reboot trilogy, assures director Hugo Martin.
- Xbox fans highly anticipate the game, impressed by what's been shown of its combat and new features.
- Martin hints at more Doom games in the future, saying he has no problem with working on the series for a long time.
Fans won't need to worry about Doom: The Dark Ages ending the reboot trilogy, according to the game's director, Hugo Martin. A prequel to 2016's Doom reboot and Doom Eternal, Doom: The Dark Ages was first revealed back in June at Xbox's wildly impressive Summer Game Fest Showcase. Out of everything announced at the show, Doom: The Dark Ages sat atop many Xbox fans' most anticipated lists, and is one of Xbox's biggest 2025 games.
More recently, Doom: The Dark Ages had a major presence at Xbox's Developer Direct last week, where fans were treated to a detailed deep dive into many of the game's systems. Combat was a major focus of the showing, where fans got a glimpse at the Doom Slayer's epic new medieval melee weapons like a flail, a mace, and even a throwable saw-toothed shield that players can also use to parry enemy attacks. Doom: The Dark Ages' reworked glory kills were on display as well, alongside several of the game's outrageous guns.
Doom: The Dark Ages Addresses Lack of Multiplayer
The team behind Doom: The Dark Ages talks about why the game won't include a multiplayer mode like the past few titles in the series.
In a separate preview event prior to Doom: The Dark Ages' thrilling Xbox Developer Direct deep dive, the game's director Hugo Martin spoke briefly about the future of Doom at id Software. Martin mentioned that Doom: The Dark Ages won't be the conclusion of the reboot series, and that he "wouldn't have a problem doing this for a long time."
Doom: The Dark Ages Won't Conclude The Doom Reboot Series
Considering how popular and commercially successful Doom has been since its 2016 reboot, Martin's eagerness to make even more Doom games doesn't seem too surprising. It also wouldn't make a ton of sense for Doom: The Dark Ages, a prequel, to end the series. While Doom Eternal's The Ancient Gods DLCs seemed to have wrapped up the reboot storyline with a bow, there may be some room in between these reboot entries to explore new games.
This [Doom: The Dark Ages] isn't designed to be the end of something...I wouldn't have a problem doing this for a long time.
While Martin's words are great to hear for Doom fans, enthusiasts of id Software's other FPS franchises, Quake and Rage, must surely be disappointed. Quake was just as popular as the original Doom games of the 90s, but fans of the franchise have been hoping for a 2016-style Quake reboot for quite some time. Rage is a bit of a different story, as Rage 2 was not critically or commercially successful. It's because of this that there doesn't seem to be much hope left for Rage, regardless of whether id Software triples down on Doom moving forward.
Hugo Martin's comments are surely exciting, but it'll be quite a number of years at the very least before id Software will be ready to share what's next for Doom. Right now, Doom: The Dark Ages is gearing up for its much anticipated May 15 release. It'll launch on Xbox Series X and S, PC, and PlayStation 5, and will drop day one onto Xbox Game Pass.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- May 15, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- id Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
WHERE TO PLAY
BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.
REIGN IN HELL
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for.
STAND AND FIGHT
Experience an epic story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.
DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id's largest and most expansive levels to date.
- Engine
- id Tech
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
