id Software and Bethesda have confirmed the Doom Eternal Invasion mode canceled as it refocuses its efforts on a new single-player mode instead. The Doom Eternal Dark Souls-style mode was shown off in one of the game’s first gameplay trailers back in 2018 and has been promised as an update ever since, and now Invasion mode is officially dead. In its place, id Software is making a new single-player Doom Eternal Horde mode, which it plans to show at QuakeCon next month.
Why is Doom Eternal Invasion mode canceled?
According to executive producer Marty Stratton in a statement released today (below), “the pandemic and remote working impacted the progress of development” for Invasion mode. Furthermore, players were more engaged in the various single-player expansions and master levels, suggesting that id believes that the appetite for Invasion mode is no longer there.
An important update on the development of DOOM Eternal from id Software Executive Producer Marty Stratton. pic.twitter.com/RPfhek2crI
— id Software (@idSoftware) July 2, 2021
Invasion mode was originally shown off at QuakeCon 2018, but was absent at Doom Eternal’s launch for unspecified reasons. Instead, id Software is creating a new single-player Horde mode for Doom Eternal, with Stratton adding, “we’re confident this horde mode will offer you more of the diversity and challenge you’re looking for in the game” than the Invasion mode would, presumably. The developer is also working on a “refresh” of Eternal’s multiplayer Battlemode, including implementing “a more competitive, rank-based structure,” various gameplay and balance improvements, and a new map. It will be showing all of these off at QuakeCon in August.
Considering the game released last year, 2021 has been a strong year for Doom Eternal fans. The series was supposed came to an end with The Ancient Gods Part 2 expansion, which our reviewer generally enjoyed despite some issues. id kept at least one promise, as Eternal also finally ended up on Nintendo Switch. Nevertheless, it’s not been all roses, as apart from the cancellation of Invasion mode, Bethesda also broke one promise and implemented microtransactions — and to make matters worse, they were completely broken, too.
