Gamescom’s opening night has wrapped up, and while the hype was not high all night, there were some big announcements made. One of thebiggest announcements from Gamescom’s opening nightwas more concrete news aboutDoom Eternal’s DLC, specifically its release date. The DLC, titledThe Ancient Gods, is set to release its first half on October 20, and it’s a big one.
Doom Eternalwas praised by critics upon release. As a followup to the remake ofDoomreleased in 2016, it improved and expanded on almost everything from the original. While the story was fleshed out and made slightly harder to follow, the gameplay was smooth as silk, and the visuals were satisfying in all the goriest, most destructive ways.
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With all this going forDoom Eternal, it is understandable whyThe Ancient Godshas players riled up. Thereis a lot to know aboutThe Ancient Gods, but here are the basics. Promising an expansion on everything players loved aboutDoom Eternal, it continues the story from where the initial game left off.
The first part ofThe Ancient Godshas several new enemy types to battle, as well as several new levels to battle them in. However, what might be the most shocking aspect ofThe Ancient Godswas announced even more recently. According to executive producer Marty Stratton, players don’t actually need to ownDoom Eternalto purchaseThe Ancient Godspart 1, or part 2 when it comes out.
The DLC is, according to Stratton, very expansive. It has its own story and its own self-contained levels, so it was decided to make it available even to players who don’t ownDoom Eternal. The main reason was apparently to let the DLC reach the widest audience possible, which is a good call. Not everyone has money to spend onDoom Eternaljust to get the full DLC experience just now, especially with the next console generation on the horizon. WhenThe Ancient Godsdrops in October, it may very well bring a whole new crowd toDoomwith a smaller, more affordable sample of what the main games have.
Then again, based on what Stratton has said, it might not be foolish to think of both parts of the DLC, taken together, as their own game. Apparently,The Ancient Godsis so expansive that it may as well be its own piece, rather than just an add-on. ConsideringThe Ancient Godspart 2 may release as early as March, this could mean an almost completely newDoomgame much sooner than many anticipated.
Obviously, it will not be a fully newDoomgame since it was built on the back ofDoom Eternal, and thus has several restrictions. There will be no new weapons, and odds are there will be fewer jaw-dropping new assets in levels or even the new enemies. Still, if the game runs as smoothly asDoom Eternal, players will have few reasons to complain. After all,whenDoom Eternalis cool enough, it can run at 1,000 FPS.
Doom Eternalis available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia, with Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions in development.The Ancient Gods: Part 1will be available on June 10, 2025.
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