Deleted Artstation web page purportedly exhibits one other unrealized model of Doom 4

On March 2, videogame archivist The Gman’s Archive shared a video to Twitter that is purportedly from a 2012 construct of Doom 4, the long-in-development Doom follow-up that might ultimately change into the universally-acclaimed 2016 reboot of the sequence. The video was sourced from the Artstation web page of Danny Keys, a video editor and media artist at id Software program, however the authentic Artstation publish has since been taken down.

Whereas Doom 3 has its detractors, the slower-paced, extra horror-focused game has an enchantment that I discover onerous to disclaim. Nonetheless, after its 2004 launch, id clearly struggled with what path to take the sequence in, as outlined in a Noclip documentary from 2016. The Noclip doc, in addition to scattered leaks and protection through the years, all paint an image of a distinctly late ’00s, early ’10s kind of cinematic shooter. I have a look at these lovingly-animated faces, brown and gray colours, city environments, a dude with a rucksack trundling alongside earlier than vaulting over a desk⁠—I calls ’em like I sees ’em, and what I see is Name of Doom.

The contents of this new sizzle reel from Keys slot surprisingly completely into what we all know of the Doom 4 to Doom (2016) growth timeline. In one other Noclip video from simply final 12 months, you possibly can unmistakably make out the gleaming Terminator skeleton of Doom (2016) slowly rising from the yielding flesh of Doom 4 as time goes on, with Name of Doom’s muddy brownness and sluggish motion giving solution to the acquainted contours of the launched shooter.

The 2012 trailer is darker and fewer colourful than the ultimate game, with demons that extra resemble the physique horror beasts of Doom 3 than the goofy (if nonetheless considerably grotesque) demon guys of right this moment. The shotgun, rage fist, and chainsaw glory kill animations although⁠—these are virtually equivalent to what got here in 2016, ditto for the shotgun and chainsaw fashions. A lot of the trailer appears prefer it was set on Earth, although partway by it transitions to a sterile inside that’d be right at house within the UAC Mars facility.

This new video is one other fascinating have a look at one of many earlier console technology’s defining shooters earlier than it got here collectively⁠—”Doom’s not performed but, put it again within the oven!” One factor I at all times discover humorous about Doom 4 is that it would not actually appear to draw the identical wistful craving as different minimize, canceled, or reworked video games. 

I am for positive responsible of this impulse—I will by no means not pine after Troika’s potential Fallout 3/Fallout-inspired prototype from earlier than Bethesda purchased the license and the Black Isle successor studio went below. With Doom although, what we obtained was so good, and its preliminary path was so off-mark, we will simply be regular about leaked Doom 4 stuff⁠—it has no energy over us (cue Doom 4 likers sending me strongly-worded emails.).