DOOM 4 Was Cancelled Because It Was Too Similar to Call of Duty


iD Software originally designed DOOM 4 to be like every other modern shooter. Developers planned to tell a big story with lots of cinematic sequences, just like Call of Duty. However, after testing, they realized that DOOM 4 didn’t play like a DOOM game at all. The scripted action sequences and heavy focus on story over gameplay made the game feel like “Call of DOOM.” According to creative director Hugo Martin, the problem with DOOM 4 was how far it strayed from its roots.

Credit: iD Software
Credit: iD Software

“To tell a bigger story, it sacrificed the doom slayer. DOOM is about one guy involved in big things. DOOM 4 was about the big things.”

Credit: iD Software
Credit: iD Software

YouTube video

The short documentary gives a short history of the DOOM franchise, including the problems with DOOM 4. The developers didn’t want to put out a game that felt like a Call of Duty clone, so they cancelled the project back in 2011. DOOM has always been an arcade style shooter with heavy focus on gameplay, and the original plans for DOOM 4 didn’t follow that winning formula. Thankfully, Bethesda revived the hellish shooter for a 2016 release, and the reboot is a true DOOM game through and through.

Credit: iD Software
Credit: iD Software