Doom composer Mick Gordon says he'd return to the series in a heartbeat

Mick Gordon, the composer behind the iconic metal-drenched soundtracks of Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, told IGN at PAX Australia this weekend that he's open to working on the series again — but only if the circumstances align. "There are a lot of dominoes that would have to fall in a very specific way for that to occur," he said. "If those dominoes ever fell in that way, I would. Of course. Within a heartbeat."

Gordon didn't spell out what those dominoes are, but the context is hard to ignore. In a lengthy 2022 Medium post, he accused id Software of failing to pay him for half his work on the Doom Eternal soundtrack, and called out executive producer Marty Stratton specifically for repeated abusive behaviour during the project. Despite all that, Gordon says his passion for the franchise itself is intact: "I had a whole list of ideas where I wanted to go with Doom. And I'd love to explore that one day, for sure."

Whether id Software is in a position to make another Doom anytime soon is a separate question. The studio was hit hard by Microsoft's Xbox-related layoffs in July, with 136 staff affected. Lead services programmer Chris Hays put it bluntly at the time: "It's hard to make a game that is AAA, that's like we've done before, with half the people. And by hard, I mean impossible." That casts a long shadow over any near-term sequel prospects, Gordon or no Gordon.

In the meantime, Gordon is staying busy. He composed the final boss theme for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, out October 14, and is still working on the full soundtrack for Defect, a squad-based cyberpunk shooter from veterans of Doom and Call of Duty. In 2027, he'll headline the UK's RADAR music festival, performing the Doom and Doom Eternal scores live with a full band for the first time.