In the early 90’s, Doom revolutionized the FPS genre (many say it created it) by introducing players to an iconic world that many still fondly remember to this day. Now we learn just how hard it was to accomplish this historic feat.
Tom Hall (creative director) reveals just how insane the schedule was in order to actually bring the infamous shooter to market. “In the early days of id, we were like the limbs of one big creature, working brilliantly in parallel…We worked 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, with little outside contact. Taking a weekend off was looked on with disdain. Playing fighting games, often on the Neo-Geo, was one of our few releases.” Hall says.
Also, in addition to a rigorous schedule, the intense workload was not the only challenge the developer would face over the lifecycle of the game. Doom received media criticism years later in the wake of a horrible tragedy. John Romero, id Software founder, recalls, “We were criticized after the Columbine shootings, but we knew it wasn’t our fault…I was like: I’m not getting caught up in this age-old debate. I didn’t comment on any of it. Whatever the new thing is, people always blame that–Judas Priest, Ozzy, comic books. But the big problem is people not being in touch with their kids.”
Doom 4 is currently in development by id, but delays and restarts have plagued its release. It is currently unknown if the game will be completed.