John Romero has shared an interesting tidbit with the gaming community, revealing the origin of the Deer Hunter series, and many would not have guessed its ties to a popular retail chain. The Deer Hunter series compiled a selection of hunting simulation games, beginning with the self-titled PC, Macintosh, and Game Boy Color release in the late 90s. The franchise saw over 20 entries under the main IP, and players were dropped into meadows and dense forests where an array of animals, UFOs, and even Bigfoot could be spotted.
Romero is a legendary developer in the video games industry, with several iconic projects under his name, and as a co-founder of id Software, some of those beloved IPs include Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake. There’s a long list of acclaimed and nostalgic John Romero games, including Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, and Dangerous Dave, to name a few outside the Doom franchise.
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During a podcast interview with Nightdive Studios, Romero revealed Walmart was the reason behind the Deer Hunter series’ inception, as the brand became a big name in the industry during the 90s for selling gaming products. The retail chain has become a go-to for gamers to bag the latest games or consoles, including Walmart’s Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders that came as a surprise recently. Thanks to id Software’s working relationship with GT Interactive, the PC publisher that evolved into the modern Atari, an invitation to Walmart’s shelves was achieved.
John Romero Reveals Deer Hunter Series' Origin With Walmart
Despite the litany of FPS games that were inspired by Doom, Romero also revealed that Walmart’s primary buyer was a Texas-based executive who had a hunger for a much simpler hunting game tethered to the real world. “‘I just want a deer hunting game. You make one of those, and I guarantee, you'll sell out,’” Romero recalled quoting the executive, and GT responded by getting to work fast on the Deer Hunter series.
Concluding the podcast interview, Romero closed with the future of gaming, after emphasizing that the existence of the hunting genre was thanks to Walmart. The developer believed that indie games were the future of the industry, and there has been no short supply of them. Some of the best indie games merge genres, including the likes of FTL: Faster Than Light, The Forgotten City, and Slay The Spire, and considering Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s monumental success, as it’s often considered an indie, the genre may well be leading the pack.
- Released
- September 1, 1997
