Doom: The Dark Ages developer id Software has explained the decision not to include multiplayer in the highly-anticipated prequel game.
The upcoming shooter featured at yesterday's Xbox Developer Direct presentation as a May 15 release date for Xbox Series X/S, PC, PlayStation 5, and Game Pass was confirmed.
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New footage showed the Doom Slayer wielding the new Shield Saw, which can be used as a weapon as well as to block, parry, and deflect with a "single intuitive and contextual input".
It's a major part of the title's gameplay loop, with id Software wanting to make players feel like an "iron tank – heavy, strong, but still fast".
The showcase offered fans a glimpse at three melee weapons – an iron flail, spiked mace, and electrified gauntlet – and the revamped finisher system.
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The game will also feature segments where the Doom Slayer pilots a huge Atlan mech and a cybernetic dragon.
Producer Marty Stratton confirmed to press that there won't be any multiplayer in Doom: The Dark Ages, as the team wanted to focus entirely on delivering the best single-player campaign they could.
"We made that decision early so that we could really just go all in on the campaign," Stratton said (via IGN).
"It's our largest, most expansive, most epic campaign ever, and we're just really happy with the decision and I think it's been awesome to have the team focused just on polishing and finishing the campaign.
"That's why we were able to put the dragon and the Atlan in.
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"I mean, these are things we've wanted to do in the game for multiple games now, but couldn't because we had a multiplayer component which we loved.
"Really, [we wanted] to just focus on the single-player campaign and just level up that experience for players."
Another feature shown off during the Developer Direct was a range of difficulty modifiers – including enemy aggression, parry timing, and game speed – that will let players customise their experience.
You can watch the full gameplay deep dive on YouTube here.
Doom: The Dark Ages will launch on May 15 on Xbox Series X/S, PC, PlayStation 5, and Game Pass.
