Doom Nearly Got A Multiplayer Spinoff On Nintendo 64
While plenty of fans are wondering what the next plans for the Doom Slayer are and if we will get a sequel to "Doom Eternal," plenty of cut content and development secrets from the long-running franchise has come to light. For example, the original game had some bonkers cutscenes that never came to light, and at one point, there was going to be a multiplayer spinoff game created for the Nintendo 64.
Given Nintendo's current family-friendly reputation, some may not know that the Japanese giant's fifth-generation console also had several more mature titles available on it. The appropriately named "Doom 64," of course, included. However, unlike most entries in the series, "Doom 64" wasn't created by Id Software — Midway Studios San Diego helmed the project. Acquired by THQ and rebranded as THQ San Diego in 2009 (per Destructoid), the studio was last seen assisting Vigil Games in creating 2012's "Darksiders 2" before the dissolution of THQ a year later.
After the release of "Doom 64," Midway Studios began working on the "Doom" spinoff that never came to be. Here's how the studio nearly served players a multiplayer "Doom" game on the Nintendo 64.
Doom Absolution was canceled due to the competition of the time
In an IGN article originally published in 1997, it was reported that Midway would be releasing two games for the Nintendo 64: "NFL Blitz" and "Mortal Kombat 4." Simultaneously, the article reported that Midway canceled one "Doom Absolution." Apparently, this multiplayer-focused iteration of the "Doom" franchise would have been designed for one on one deathmatches. Something that could have fit right in on Nintendo 64 alongside titles like "Goldeneye 007."
In a brief conversation with Doom Depot, Aaron Seeler, a programmer for "Doom 64," talked about competition. According to Seeler, "The making of Doom 64 was quite an endeavor at that time, so there are many stories and many versions. It was very problematic development. Lots of content and team turnover. We used to say we were bleeding out of our eyes to finish it. ... At that time, as [DOOM] purists, most everybody involved thought it silly to play dm split screen, where you could see everybody else. So, we chose not to do it. [Goldeneye] '007' beat the crap out of 'Doom 64.' Quite a regret."
In a separate interview between Doom Depot and "Doom 64" level designers Tim Heydelaar and Randy Estrella, Heydelaar proposed that another reason for the cancellation of the "Doom 64" sequel: "Doom had seen its prime by then." Perhaps that's how things felt for the franchise in 1997, but, luckily for fans, the 2016 reboot of "Doom" turned things around.