published by Bethesda Softworks
In 2025, id Software and Bethesda will unleash DOOM: The Dark Ages — a brutal, medieval twist on one of gaming’s most legendary franchises. Players once again step into the Slayer’s boots, battling through hellish landscapes in a desperate fight for survival. But outside the world of demons and dark fortresses, the gaming industry faces a different kind of dark age — one fueled not by fire and steel, but by financial collapse, mass layoffs, and creative stagnation.
Over the past decade, gaming rode a golden wave of success. Record-breaking launches, billion-dollar acquisitions, and booming fanbases created the illusion of endless growth. Yet as 2024 turned into 2025, cracks in the foundation grew too large to ignore. Studios shut down. Projects vanished. Even once-unstoppable giants retreated under the weight of economic uncertainty. Now, as we prepare to storm the medieval battlefields of DOOM: The Dark Ages, the eerie parallel is impossible to miss: a brutal fight for survival, both on-screen and off.
Enter DOOM: The Dark Ages
While Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020) delivered fast-paced, acrobatic combat, Doom: The Dark Ages shifts toward a heavier, more grounded style. Combat now emphasizes strategy, with the Doom Slayer portrayed as an “iron tank” wielding enhanced melee attacks and a slow-motion glory kill feature for greater control.
New tools like the Shield Saw allow players to block, parry, and strike with a single input. Players can also wield brutal weapons such as the Skull Crusher, a gun that fires bone fragments, along with melee options like a gauntlet, an iron mace, and a flail.
For the first time in the series, players can pilot vehicles, including a cybernetic dragon and a 30-story Atlan mech, during large-scale battles.
The game also leans deeper into storytelling, offering more cutscenes, richer character development, and a closer look at the Doom Slayer’s origins.
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