John Romero, co-creator of Doom, recently addressed statements made by Sandy Petersen, a fellow id Software alum, regarding the backstory of the iconic game. Over the years, Romero has made it a point to clarify and correct various statements about Doom’s development, ensuring the game’s history is accurately represented.
Even if you’ve never played it, Doom needs little introduction. This groundbreaking first-person shooter, launched in the early ’90s, didn’t just change gaming—it revolutionized the way developers approached the genre. Known for its heart-pounding action and memorable gameplay, Doom set the bar for all subsequent FPS titles and remains influential over three decades later. At the heart of its creation were John Carmack and John Romero, two visionaries who brought Doom to life. Romero, in particular, has been keen on setting the record straight when it comes to the game’s storied past.
Recently on social media, John Romero took issue with comments made by Sandy Petersen about Doom’s development. Petersen had defended the game’s original lore against criticisms that it was less sophisticated than newer iterations, claiming credit for the original backstory. Romero, however, countered this assertion, stating that the backstory was actually penned by Tom Hall, another co-founder of id Software.
In further tweets, Romero clarified that Kevin Cloud was responsible for writing the Doom manual, which included the game’s backstory based on Tom Hall’s original work. When Petersen claimed he crafted the brief narrative found in the manual because he didn’t have access to the full Doom Bible, Romero dismissed this account, standing by his own version of events.
This isn’t the first time Romero has acted to correct misconceptions about Doom. He has expressed his belief that preserving the accuracy of video game history is essential, especially concerning a game as influential as Doom. Romero has gone as far as to suggest that Petersen’s claims amount to an attempt to rewrite history and assume credit where it’s not due.
Despite the ongoing debate about its creation, Doom’s legacy remains untarnished. Fans continue to enjoy the classic version, which has recently been enhanced for modern systems, complete with multiplayer and mod support. Whether Romero and Petersen will ever reconcile their differing accounts of Doom’s origins is uncertain, but the game’s impact on the industry is indisputable.
