Latest news with #MartyStratton
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Doom: The Dark Ages and the challenges of finding new players
Few names are as synonymous with video games as launched in 1993, the first-person shooter (FPS) remains one of the most influential - and popular - series in the even it and its superhuman protagonist, The Doom Slayer, have to contend with the pressures of the games industry in new players, competing with the new titans on the scene and the rising cost of making - and selling - blockbuster titles. BBC Newsbeat spoke to the project leaders of the latest instalment, Doom: The Dark Ages, about navigating some of these challenges. 'You know exactly what you're getting' While the Doom series is famous for pitting players against colossal enemies, there are other behemoths it has to face."There's so much stuff competing for our attention these days, whether it's games, movies, or whatever," says executive producer Marty (F2P) games, such as Fortnite and Roblox, and annually updated series such as Call of Duty and EA FC regularly dominate most-played evidence to suggest players, particularly younger ones, are spending most of their time on these titles - sometimes referred to as "forever games".In the latest Online Nation report by UK regulator Ofcom, five of the top ten games among UK players were F2P. Fortnite recorded about 2.65m active UK users in May 2024, and Roblox 1.22m, according to the report, and global figures are much those players to premium titles can be a challenge but Marty argues games such as Doom, which can be completed in under 20 hours, can "fit into those habits"."It doesn't have to become your obsession for the next two years," he says. The Doom series - developed by Dallas-based ID Software - has an advantage over others because it's so well-known and has a large, loyal as industry expert Rhys Elliot, from Alinea Analytics, tells Newsbeat, it's getting harder to rely solely on your hardcore he says, the number of people playing premium titles isn't increasing, but the cost of making them is."The people who make games - they still need to make revenues each year because, you know, capitalism," he way of doing this is by attracting new director Hugo Martin says the response to Doom: The Dark Age's previews were encouraging - something he puts down in part to its new "Medieval sci-fi" setting and altered gameplay style."We see it in the comments - a lot of people are saying 'I think this is going to be my first Doom', and that's exciting for us," he games industry has also leaned into customisation in recent years, giving players the power to finely tweak different elements and aspects of difficulty - something that's been incorporated into The Dark Ages."In that regard I think it's going to be a great first-time experience for a lot of fans," says there's still the small matter of the cost of entry. The debate over prices has been a feature of gaming discourse for 2010, a new game cost roughly £40 in the UK - and players had plenty to say about it at the you take into account inflation (using this Bank of England tool), that would be about £60 in today's money. Doom: The Dark Ages itself costs £69.99 for a standard edition or almost £100 for a limited Premium Edition with extras included."When you look at the history of game pricing... it really hasn't skyrocketed," says issue has been thrown back into the spotlight thanks to worries over Donald Trump's tariff plans and price announcements from the three major console could make competitors such as Fortnite - which don't require new, specialised hardware to run - even more appealing for cash-strapped Doom producer Marty argues that "free" games can end up costing players more in the long run, while there are "no unknown expenses" with a one-off purchase such as Doom."You're not going to be asked to pay anything else, two hours in," he says.F2P games generate cash with in-game purchases, ranging from "microtransactions" equivalent to a handful of change or, in some cases, hundreds of costs can mount up, and a recent poll of 2,001 gamers by British bank TSB suggested dedicated players can spend about £22 a month on those still less than a tentpole new release, but Doom's director Hugo also believes people are happy to pay more for a "curated experience" with "replay value"."Typically, if you just make a really good game then people will want to play it again," he says. Analyst Rhys believes we're going to see more "fiddling with prices" and surcharges "to see what customers are willing to pay" and a wider range of RRPs for new releases."Hopefully there'll be more competition there. It's good for consumers," he is also available on PC and Xbox via Game Pass - Microsoft's Netflix-style subscription priced at £14.99 a evidence more people are turning to this, as well as Sony's PlayStation Plus - raising questions over whether they put players off paying full Pass players could pay a £34.99/$34.99 upgrade fee to access the game two days early and receive bonus Piker: Streamer says he was detained at US airportWhat have we learned from Grand Theft Auto 6's second trailer?Clair Obscur: How a passion project became 2025's most talked-about gameRhys says we are likely to see more of these sorts of offers are aimed at "superfans" who want to keep up with the latest releases. For everyone else, waiting is an option."You can pick up the first 2016 Doom game for like £4 right now," says makers, perhaps unsurprisingly, believe their latest is worth jumping into."We think about price when we're developing it - we obviously want the value to be there for players," says Marty."Ultimately, it's a market. Players will determine what they want to spend.""I think it's there's obviously still a place for a good, premium, highly polished, fun single-player game," adds Hugo. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Doom: The Dark Ages release date and how to start slaying up to two days before the official launch
Doom: The Dark Ages is coming to Xbox, PC and PS5 day one, with Game Pass subscribers getting it included as part of their membership. Doom: The Dark Ages is coming to Xbox, PC and PS5 day one, with Game Pass subscribers getting it included as part of their membership. It's been almost a decade since the Doom series reboot in 2016, and since then we've only had one follow-up with Doom Eternal in 2020. But after five years, we're getting a brand new series entry with Doom: The Dark Ages which is coming to PlayStation, Xbox and PC in May. While the first two titles in the rebooted series were multi-platform, after Microsoft bought Bethesda-parent company, Zenimax, in 2021, it was thought that the franchise would be skipping the PS5 going forward, but thankfully that's not the case. Xbox boss, Phil Spencer, offered IGN his reasoning for the decision in an interview last year, saying, 'Doom is definitely one of those franchises that has a history of so many platforms. It's a franchise that I think everyone deserves to play. 'When I was in a meeting with [id Software Studio Director Marty Stratton] a couple years ago, I asked Marty what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to sell it on all platforms. Simple as that.' Obviously Xbox Series X |S owners get the added benefit of having the title be a day on Xbox Game Pass title, but we won't begrudge its absence from PS Plus given we're luck to see it on PS5 at all. Here's exactly when Doom: The Dark Ages releases and how you can play up to two days ahead of anyone else with early access. Doom: The Dark Ages release date Doom: The Dark Ages is set to release on Thursday, May 15 at 12am UTC according to the PlayStation Store listings in the UK, US, and AU. This reddit thread has also spotted the same time over on the Xbox store page, but it looks like it'll be a simultaneous global launch rather than midnight local time. This may be a placeholder as we often see games go live at midnight local time (or 12am EDT in the US dictating the time for all territories in the region), but we'll be keeping an eye on social media for official confirmation closer to the time. In the meantime, based on the game launching worldwide at 12am UTC, here's what that is for your region: Wednesday, May 14 5pm PDT 6pm CDT 7pm MDT 8pm EDT Thursday, May 15 12am UTC 1am BST 2am CEST 10am AEST If you're keen to play early, then you'll have to fork out for the Premium Edition, Collector's Bundle, or Premium Upgrade – all of which will give you up to two days early access for Doom: The Dark Ages, on the following dates: Monday, May 12 5pm PDT 6pm CDT 7pm MDT 8pm EDT Tuesday, May 13 12am UTC 1am BST 2am CEST 10am AEST As for the editions themselves, as well as early access, here's a brief summary of the price and what it gets you: Doom: The Dark Ages standard edition DOOM: The Dark Ages Void DOOM Slayer Skin Price: £69.99 / $69.99 / AU$119.95 Doom: The Dark Ages Premium Edition DOOM: The Dark Ages Up to 2-Day Early Access Campaign Add On Digital Artbook & Soundtrack Divinity Skin Pack Void DOOM Slayer Skin Price: £99.99 / $99.99 / AU$169.95 Doom: The Dark Ages Premium Upgrade (Xbox and PC only) Up to 2-Day Early Access Campaign DLC Digital Artbook and Soundtrack Divinity Skin Pack Base game required (sold separately) Price: £34.99 / $34.99 / AU$59.95 Bear in mind that if you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you can grab the Doom: The Dark Ages Premium Upgrade for just £3.50 / $3.50 / AU$6; although give it's a day one release, that rules out the possibility of you playing early but the looks of things. But you'll still get all the other extras.
