DoomandDoom Eternalcomposer Mick Gordon has issued a lengthy statement regarding his ongoing issues with Bethesda over his treatment and work. The soundtrack for Id Software’sDoomreboot in 2016 was hailed as a glorious example of how heavy metal can elevate a video game experience. However, despite his prior achievements, Gordon’s return to composeDoom Eternal’s soundtrack was rife with controversy. Gordon is now exercising what he describes as his “right to defend” himself on the subject.
In 2020,Doom Eternal’s soundtrackignited when, after a delay, the quality of a majority of the soundtrack was heavily criticized. Gordon publicly clarified he wasn’t involved with tracks that had been remixed, 48 of the 59, and further stated that he wouldn’t be working with Id Software again. Certain parts of the soundtrack had been controversially remixed by another Id Software employee, it turns out. Id Software executive producer Marty Stratton would go on to claim that Gordon didn’t mix the full soundtrack due to production complications, and further blamed Gordon for needing an extension to finish his work.
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Gordon is now pushing back againstStratton’s 2020 Reddit claims. In a statement that’s over 14,000 words long, Gordon explains that the development ofDoom Eternalwas “difficult” due in part to Id Software setting an aggressive schedule for track completion while failing to provide materials necessary for “illustrating the music’s intended purpose.” The rigidity of the schedule led to massive rewrites and lost work, and further what Gordon claims were blame and inflexibility from Id Software and Stratton in particular.
Another pressing issue for Gordon duringDoom Eternal’s developmentwas pay. Gordon explains that Bethesda’s unwillingness to “approve” his music led to battles, including a period of 11 months without pay – 11 months during which Gordon said he dealt with “endless demands” and “severe crunch.“Marty Stratton,@idSoftwareStudio Director, lied about@DOOMEternal’s OST events in a Reddit post that used disinformation to blame me entirely for its failure
A focus for many has beenDoom Eternal’s soundtrack, which Gordon also addresses. He explains that Bethesda announced “Mick Gordon’s originalDoom Eternal Soundtrack” without his approval or a contract. A contract was only offered with 29 days before it needed to be released and was only for 12 songs. Gordon would go on to allege Stratton legally “threatened” him and cut the time down to just 13 days. Gordon would discoverId Softwarehad been working on its own soundtrack that he says “wasn’t up to standard.” In desperation, Gordon says he crunched the 12 songs he was contractually obligated to make. Before he finished, Stratton “took control” and the result is the OST that was released featuring a significant amount of work Gordon wasn’t involved in.
To say that this brief description ofMick Gordon’s statement isn’t even half the story is a gross understatement. Gordon takes issue with Id Software and Stratton in many significant ways, including accusing Stratton of blaming him for the issues withDoom Eternal’s soundtrack days after promising they’d issue a joint statement in support of each other. The result was a lawsuit and an effort to reach a settlement that’s still ongoing, for which Gordon sees his statement as the necessary next step.
Gordon’s statement is full of links to emails, screenshots of files, and more. It’s thorough, to say the least. It’s unclear what Gordon believes is the next step, but he’s reached this point saying that he has no other option. What is clear is that Gordon wants fans ofDoomto know he put in the work and hopes they understand what has led to this point.
