We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, delays are a big part of the gaming industry. But as much as each setback in game development is a bit of a disappointment, we’d much rather see the best launch experience possible; most certainly over a product that the developers aren’t content with. And from there, whilst it’s disappointing to hear that DOOM Eternal is being hit by a release delay, it’s more than understandable.
Coming from id Software and Bethesda, DOOM Eternal was originally due to hit Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC on November 22nd 2019, however in an open letter from id, that date has been pushed back – right back to March 20th 2020. And even then, a Nintendo Switch launch looks set to happen after that date, with Eternal now up for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC initially.
And further to that, the Invasion Mode won’t be available at launch, pushed back further to be a free update shortly after launch.
The letter in full is as follows. Massive thanks to Bethesda for providing it…
Throughout the development of DOOM Eternal, our goal has been to deliver a game that exceeds your greatest expectations across the board.
To make sure we’re delivering the best experience — for DOOM Eternal to live up to our standards of speed and polish — we’ve made the decision to extend our launch date by a few months to March 20, 2020. We know many fans will be disappointed by this delay, but we are confident that DOOM Eternal will deliver a gaming experience that is worth the wait.
In addition to shifting the DOOM Eternal launch date, we’ve made a couple other changes we wanted you to know about:
- Invasion Mode, which will allow you to enter another player’s game as a playable demon, will release as a free update shortly after launch.
- DOOM Eternal for Nintendo Switch will release after the other platforms. We will announce that date in the future.
- DOOM 64 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in addition to Nintendo Switch. We are adding DOOM 64 as a pre-order bonus for DOOM Eternal on all platforms so you’ll be able to download and play this classic game, for free, just for pre-ordering DOOM Eternal. DOOM 64 will be released on March 20, 2020 on all platforms.
We are grateful to every DOOM fan for your dedication and support – we can’t wait to rip-and-tear right alongside you
So, disappointing yes, but we’d much rather a game launch was delayed in this fashion rather than seeing a sub-standard product launched.
And hey, March 2020 isn’t that far away, is it?
If you do wish to know more about DOOM Eternal, we’ve already been hands-on with it. You can read our thoughts right here, whilst a further article highlights why the world is so hyped for the next instalment in the DOOM saga too. Check them out.
