Id Software, the developers of Doom Eternal, announced that the game’s planned Invasion multiplayer mode has been canceled. In a letter shared with the game’s community on Twitter, executive producer Marty Stratton stated that “the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic and remote working impacted the progress of development for this addition.” Instead, the development team will be working on a new single-player horde mode.
An important update on the development of DOOM Eternal from id Software Executive Producer Marty Stratton. pic.twitter.com/RPfhek2crI
— id Software (@idSoftware) July 2, 2021
Id Software has had success with Doom Eternal‘s post-launch content so far. After promising early on that the game would not include microtransactions, the developers released a two-part series of DLC titled The Ancient Gods. The team just released a series of fidelity updates for next-gen consoles and a new master level on June 29, following E3.
Beyond these updates, Id planned to release a free content updated that added Invasion alongside the game’s existing multiplayer.
The statement claims that many players “enjoy the range of gameplay and combat available in the expansions and master levels,” which encouraged the development team to focus on making a new single-player horde mode. Id will also be working on updates to the existing Battlemode, which include a new rank-based structure, balance updates, and a new map.
Initial fan reaction appears to be mixed, with some fans mourning the loss of a new multiplayer mode while others celebrate the return of a horde mode. Stratton ended the statement by saying that more information on both horde mode and the Battlemode updates should be available at QuakeCon 2021, which will take place virtually from August 19 to 21.
