A couple of weeks ago around the release of the soundtrack for the game Doom eternal scandal flared up, which caused serious concern among fans of the popular shooter series. Rumors circulated over the network that Mick Gordon and Bethesda quarreled so much that the Australian composer refused to work with the team of creators again Doom. It was in time on time open letter executive producer id Software Marty Stratton, shedding light on the situation around the music album for DOOM Eternal.
He began his letter with a brief overview of the situation between Gordon and id Software, and also outlined the criticisms that the team and the leading sound designer in particular received during this period. Stratton said that he was forced to tell the whole story in view of how the incident is reflected in the studio.
“We receive reports that casually or disrespectfully played game music. Some suggested that Mick did not receive the necessary amount of time or creative freedom to create something completely different or better. The fact is that none of this is true “
According to Stratton, Bethesda and id Software had never discussed the termination of collaboration with Gordon, so the composer’s recent harsh message surprised them. And, apparently, offended.
“We did our best to connect some of the most closely related development processes, while communication as part of solving problems caused trust undermining. In the case of our studio, this led to the formation of an unstable production model with uncertainty and risk factors for the project.”
According to Stratton, in January 2023 id Software and Gordon agreed that by the beginning of March the latter will prepare at least 12 completely ready-made music tracks for the album. The composer was given full creative control. But in February, he wrote to the developers that it will take him an additional four weeks to complete the process and implement everything he has planned.. Then Gordon noted that an extra month would allow him to reduce up to 30 songs with a total duration of around 120 minutes.
These conditions satisfied the studio. Buyers of the collector’s edition of DOOM Eternal were informed that they could download the soundtrack later.
But in early April, Stratton asked lead sound designer Chad Mossholder, who works directly with id Software, to begin work on a backup plan that included using compressed versions of music files for mixing the album.
Compressed versions are used in the game, and id Software had access to them, while uncompressed, original and more dynamic ones are available only to Gordon, who records them personally in his studio.
After Stratton gave the assignment to Mossholder, he wrote about it to Gordon and reminded of the approaching deadline. In response, the composer agreed to combine on the album his versions of the tracks that he would be able to finish with mixes from Mossholder.
However, on the day of the next deadline, Gordon said that he had not yet realized his plan and that he would need even more time. For Bethesda, this was unacceptable for the reason that she was in danger of potential trouble – if the product does not match the description, the buyer has the right to request a refund.
As a result, according to Stratton, id Software received less than 10 tracks from Gordon, most of which was performed in the genre of ambient music, and this is not what the fans expected.
The final release of the soundtrack included only two tracks from Gordon – id Software was in a hurry, so she had to use a fallback from Mossholder.
This “fallback”, as history has already shown, did not appeal to many users, and Gordon himself pointedly disowned him on social networks, although, according to id, he was shown the soundtrack before the release.
After the release of the album and Gordon’s comments on the open spaces of the network, Stratton contacted the composer and he explained that he did not like the album and the mention of Mossholder as the second author. In response, the producer reminded the musician that id Software was not originally going to do the soundtrack itself, and therefore attracted him. But in the end, she had to work in the field, having only compressed versions of the songs and not having an idea of Gordon’s vision for this album. He himself dragged on the process.
“As for the mention of Mossholder as a co-author of music, we didn’t do it. Only Gordon is listed as the composer, and Mossholder is the second artist on the tracks that he personally recorded for the album. So we clearly showed the fans who did what. We could not attribute Miku all the work done by another person, “- explained the producer.
The bottom line of this story is this: Bethesda and id Software love Gordon’s work, but are no less disappointed with the current situation than ordinary players. They decided not to collaborate with the composer to create a DLC for DOOM Eternal. His music will not be there. The future is foggy – Gordon himself previously answered fans that he is unlikely to return to work with id Software.
“I am not less than everyone else disappointed that such a situation has developed, but as we have already done this several times before, we adapt to changing circumstances and select the most unique and talented people in the industry with whom it will be possible to collaborate.
Cooperation with Mick brought pleasure to our entire team, and we are sure that he will delight his fans for many years to come, “Stratton concluded.
Gordon has not yet responded to Stratton’s revelations in public space.
DOOM Eternal is currently available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A release for the Nintendo Switch hybrid console is expected in the future.
See also: Syseller: The number of owners of VR headsets has increased dramatically since the release of Half-Life: Alyx
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