We've now passed the midway point of March, which means we're just a few months out from Microsoft bookending the first half of the year with another huge Xbox release. We had Avowed in February, we've got South of Midnight next month, and then Xbox is taking on the daddy of first-person shooters in May - with DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Since acquiring both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, Xbox has gathered some absolutely humongous FPS games under its wing, and we're very excited to see how the brand fares with DOOM. First came Halo and then came Call of Duty, but boy oh boy - handling id Software's legendary shooter series is a big one.
Of course, we're not naïve, we know that COD is the big seller in this day and age - and likely much more important to Xbox's bottom line as the company moves forward. But DOOM is part of the very fabric that makes first-person shooters what they are today, and handling that particular franchise just feels like a massive moment. We know that Bethesda & id have been at the helm of The Dark Ages for a while, but it shouldn't be understated just how big of a deal DOOM being an Xbox first-party game is - even if PS5 has a seat at the table.
Looking back at the last couple of series entries, the studio has been onto a real winner over the last decade or so. Yep, it's been almost 10 years since the big DOOM reboot (sorry to make you feel old), and with that and DOOM Eternal just a few years later, the franchise has really made a grand comeback as of late. Eternal in particular was just incredible stuff - one of the best FPS games in recent memory.
Looking ahead to The Dark Ages, then, Xbox has a chance to make its mark on another legendary first-person shooter in less than two months' time. Despite some controversy, we think the teams have done pretty well with recent Halo and Call of Duty titles - and we're hoping that feat can be repeated here with DOOM: The Dark Ages on May 15th.
How are you feeling about the new DOOM as we approach launch? Rip and tear your way through the comments section down below.
Comments 13
Xbox is on a roll, both for first party output and Game Pass additions. This is easily one of the year's most anticipated titles for me (matched and succeeded only by AC Shadows).
Just finished Doom 2016 yesterday. Im going to play Eternal next. Fun games to just run around and kill everything that moves pretty mindlessly.
Should definitely be buying this unless a disaster occurs, but I doubt that being id with Doom, plus their game engine is great as well.
Soz team green but it’s a Pro purchase for me on this one.
Wow, cant wait to see if they turn it to utter ***** like they did with halo or turn it in to a clown show like COD. I hope MS managment kept their hands off it.
Until it's delayed
Idk why Xbox doesn’t like third person other than gears
Honestly I found Doom Eternal to be very overrated but that's just my opinion. Not a fan of the direction they took with it and this looks like it will just be more of that.
@Kaloudz I couldn't agree more, this is the best cadence of EXCELLENT Xbox releases I've personally experienced since the Xbox 360 days. If Xbox was able to release these kinda bangers at the beginning of the console generation we would be seeing a completely different narrative in my opinion. This is the resurgence of excellent games that Xbox desperately needed. Stalker 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, Atom Fall, Doom the Dark Ages and South of Midnight all released or releasing within months of one another is truly remarkable for Xbox. That's not even taking into consideration the great games that are to be expected for the second half of 2025.
What's crazy to me is I went to Walmart the other day with my girl and they were completely sold out of Xbox consoles, I had asked the workers if they had any in the back, they said no we're waiting for more to restock and that they've seen an uptick in Xbox console sales. Now, of course I'm not naive enough to think this is a turn around for Xbox consoles based on 1 freaking store in Portland, Oregon. That being said, I do believe with excellent games releasing on Xbox people are much more inclined to purchase the consoles, I don't believe that's a coincidence.
P.S. funnily enough, the store had a few PS5 pros in the shelf and I asked if it was a popular console to which the fellow working in the tech department said no, he's only personally seen 1 PS5 pro sold since launch. I guess it's not too surprising but still, kinda funny to see how delusional Sony is to release a $700 console.
Can't wait to 100% this on nightmare difficulty like I did the other two. Such good times.
I'm not much of a shooter fan, but ID have earned respect and trust. I suspect this will be a genuine goty contender and I'm looking forwards to playing it!
I'm ready to rip and tear again.
One of the biggest games of the year. The last two have been nearly flawless.
@Master_Cthulhu70 You're exactly right. Make great games, and players turn up. It's and indefensible argument. Don't get me wrong, last gen was pretty tough for MS, and we can even say that at the start of this gen, things were still a little bare.
I recall Phil once saying (internally) to his team "Look at Sony, their games are on point" or something like that. This was during the drought we had in (was it?) 2021/2022?
Since then, and since the acquisitions, it's just been outstanding for Xbox. The amount of games they are dishing out is better than ever before - taking into consideration that the brand was laughed at for only ever having Gears/Halo/Forza. Look at it now!
What's more, given that MS has started to really show multiplatform support, they will be able to acquire anything. The CMA/FTC can't exactly accuse them of monopoly anymore when they've not only made good on their Call of Duty promise - but are releasing some of their other games cross platform too. Exciting times ahead!
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