In an open letter from legendary developer id Software shared by DOOM publisher Bethesda, the studio confirmed that a DOOM Eternal delay will see the game slip from its planned November 22 launch into March of next year. Now scheduled to release on Friday, March 20, 2020, holding the gruesome shooter back is said to be in favor of giving players the “best experience” possible when they eventually get their hands on it.
Sequel to the excellent 2016 reboot of the classic FPS forefather, which also received an equally excellent PSVR spin-off, fans have been clamoring to rip and tear their way through more demonic entities as the steely Doomslayer for a while now. As such, anticipation was high for Eternal‘s impending launch next month, which id Software understood when acknowledging that many fans will be “disappointed” by news of the delay.
They did also take the time to reassure anybody that’s concerned about the situation of the fact that DOOM Eternal will be “worth the wait,” however. Currently, with previews being positive and the high caliber of the previous titles, there’s little reason to question that statement. In theory, at least, a delay can only allow the development team an opportunity to make the game even better.
id also took the chance to make a few smaller announcements in their letter, confirming that Eternal‘s “Invasion Mode,” where players can infiltrate one another’s game worlds as playable demons, will now release post-launch via a free update. In a similar vein, the Nintendo Switch version of DOOM Eternal originally scheduled to launch alongside the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions will now release on a currently unspecified date at some point after March 20.
In a spot of good news, however, the company also announced that the rerelease of classic Nintendo 64 series entry DOOM 64 will no longer be restricted to Switch. Additionally, a free copy of the game will accompany DOOM Eternal preorders made on any and all platforms.
