Gaming history preservation just delivered one of the most fascinating discoveries in recent memory. Throughout December 2025, preservationists and archivists have been uncovering and sharing never-before-seen assets from the cancelled version of DOOM 4, the infamous Call of Duty-inspired reboot that id Software wisely scrapped in 2013. This wasn’t just a minor course correction. It was a full-scale restart that ultimately gave us DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal, two of the greatest first-person shooters ever made. But these newly discovered assets show us exactly what we almost got instead, and it’s absolutely wild.
- What Was DOOM 4 Supposed to Be
- Why Call of DOOM Got Cancelled
- What the New Findings Reveal
- Assets That Made It Into DOOM 2016
- Why This Matters for Game Preservation
- The Eight Year Development Nightmare
- Community Reaction to the Findings
- What DOOM Became Instead
- The Upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages
- FAQs
- Conclusion
What Was DOOM 4 Supposed to Be
Between 2007 and 2013, id Software was developing a version of DOOM that looked nothing like what fans expected. Instead of the lone space marine ripping and tearing through Hell, DOOM 4 was set on a demon-invaded Earth and focused on human resistance fighters battling hellish forces in a military shooter framework. Think Call of Duty meets Metro 2033 with demons. The game featured squad-based mechanics, cover systems, objective compasses, weapon mods, and UI elements that screamed modern military shooter rather than classic arena FPS.
The newly discovered concept art reveals possessed soldiers that look like a grotesque fusion of human military gear and demonic corruption. Chain gunners with biomechanical enhancements. Environmental designs showing ruined cities, industrial bunkers, and UAC facilities overrun by hellspawn. One particularly striking image shows resistance fighters in tactical gear facing down demons in urban warfare scenarios. It’s atmospheric, detailed, and completely antithetical to what DOOM represents at its core.
Why Call of DOOM Got Cancelled
During development, the team at id Software started calling it Call of DOOM as a joke, which eventually became a wake-up call. The game had become so focused on modern shooter conventions that it lost the essential power fantasy that defined the franchise. You weren’t supposed to hide behind cover and coordinate with squadmates. You were supposed to be an unstoppable force of violence running at 90 miles per hour through demon hordes while the most metal soundtrack ever composed blasted in your ears.
The decision to cancel came around 2013 when new leadership, including game director Hugo Martin and others, took a hard look at what they’d built. Instead of salvaging parts of the project, they made the incredibly risky decision to restart development from scratch using the id Tech 6 engine. The new direction drew heavy inspiration from the original 1993 DOOM and DOOM II, emphasizing speed, aggression, and that distinctive power fantasy. It was the right call, but it meant throwing away years of work and starting over.
| Cancelled DOOM 4 | DOOM 2016 Final Version |
|---|---|
| Set on demon-invaded Earth | Set on Mars and in Hell |
| Squad-based resistance fighters | Solo Doom Slayer power fantasy |
| Cover-based shooting mechanics | Push-forward aggressive combat |
| Military shooter UI and progression | Arcade-style pickups and upgrades |
| Realistic military aesthetic | Heavy metal sci-fi horror aesthetic |
| Slow, tactical gameplay | Fast, frenetic demon slaying |
What the New Findings Reveal
The December 2025 discoveries come from multiple sources, primarily preservation accounts on Twitter sharing assets they’ve recovered. These include high-resolution concept art for enemies like the Possessed Soldier and Chain Gunner, environmental designs showing urban warfare settings, weapon interface mockups, and UI elements that show just how far the game had progressed before cancellation. Some of these assets were partially repurposed for DOOM 2016, but seeing them in their original context is eye-opening.
One fascinating aspect is how polished some of this material looks. These weren’t rough sketches or early prototypes. The concept art shows fully realized character designs with detailed textures and biomechanical elements. Environmental assets depict complex urban destruction with impressive attention to architectural detail. Weapon models feature intricate mechanical components that would have fit perfectly in a Battlefield or Call of Duty game but feel completely wrong for DOOM. The quality makes the cancellation even more remarkable because id Software threw away genuinely good work to chase something better.
Assets That Made It Into DOOM 2016
Not everything from the cancelled project went to waste. Because DOOM 4 and RAGE were developed simultaneously using id Tech 5, many environmental assets got shared between projects. RAGE includes numerous props and environmental elements from DOOM 4, from crushed cars to plant models to specific interior locations. When the reboot happened, some assets were salvaged and redesigned to fit the new direction.
The most obvious examples appear in early DOOM 2016 development footage that Noclip released in 2022 as part of their game preservation mission. Animation tests and prototype gameplay clips show demon models that were pulled over from cancelled DOOM 4 but given new context and redesigned to fit the faster, more aggressive gameplay. The Possessed Soldiers in DOOM 2016, for instance, share conceptual DNA with their DOOM 4 counterparts but were stripped of the military shooter aesthetic in favor of pure demonic corruption.
Why This Matters for Game Preservation
These discoveries highlight the importance of preserving cancelled games and development history. For years, the only glimpse we had of DOOM 4 came from a leaked CG trailer showing its war-torn aesthetic and brief gameplay footage featured in Noclip’s 2016 documentary. The new findings expand our understanding dramatically, showing enemy designs, environmental concepts, UI systems, and gameplay mechanics in much greater detail.
Game preservation isn’t just about saving playable builds, though those are invaluable when they surface. It’s also about documenting the creative process, understanding development decisions, and learning from projects that didn’t work out. The cancelled DOOM 4 represents a crucial lesson in game design: sometimes you need to kill your darlings and start over rather than force a vision that doesn’t fit. That lesson directly led to one of the greatest shooter reboots of all time.
The Eight Year Development Nightmare
DOOM 2016 endured an eight-year development cycle from August 2007 to May 2016. That’s an eternity in game development, especially for a franchise reboot. The cancelled DOOM 4 consumed the first six years before the hard reset in 2013. The studio then had roughly three years to build DOOM 2016 from scratch using id Tech 6, implement the push-forward combat system, design glory kills, work with Mick Gordon on the soundtrack, and create environments worthy of the DOOM name.
The corporate pressure during this period must have been immense. Bethesda had acquired id Software in 2009 and needed returns on that investment. RAGE launched in 2011 to mixed reviews and disappointing sales. The DOOM franchise represented id Software’s most valuable IP, and scrapping years of work to restart wasn’t an easy sell. The fact that Bethesda supported the decision speaks to their recognition that releasing mediocre Call of DOOM would damage the brand more than delaying for a proper reboot.
Community Reaction to the Findings
The gaming community’s response to these newly discovered assets has been overwhelmingly positive, not about the cancelled game itself but about the preservation effort. Reddit discussions reveal genuine appreciation for seeing what could have been, even while acknowledging that cancellation was the right decision. Some players find the concept art legitimately interesting and suggest it could have worked as a spin-off separate from mainline DOOM. Others express relief that we got DOOM 2016 instead.
A few defenders argue that DOOM 4 wasn’t trying to be Call of Duty at all, suggesting it leaned more toward action-horror like the Metro series. The newly discovered assets support this interpretation to some degree, showing atmospheric environmental designs and horror-focused enemy concepts. However, the military shooter UI elements, squad mechanics, and cover systems remain undeniable. Whatever id Software’s intentions, the execution was veering away from DOOM’s essential identity.
What DOOM Became Instead
DOOM 2016 launched to critical acclaim and commercial success, validating the risky decision to restart development. The game emphasized aggressive push-forward combat where players gained health, ammo, and armor by killing demons with glory kills rather than hiding and regenerating. The soundtrack from Mick Gordon became legendary. The level design encouraged exploration while maintaining relentless pacing. It felt like classic DOOM updated for modern hardware without compromising the core experience.
DOOM Eternal took the formula even further in 2020, introducing more complex combat loops, platforming elements, and resource management systems that some players found too arcade-like. The game leaned heavily into the lore, expanding the Doom Slayer’s backstory and creating an interconnected universe. While more divisive than its predecessor, Eternal proved that id Software had recaptured the franchise’s identity and could iterate on it successfully.
The Upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages
The franchise continues evolving with DOOM: The Dark Ages, which appears to be taking the series in yet another direction while maintaining the core power fantasy. Set during a medieval-inspired period, the game introduces parrying mechanics and what looks like slower, more deliberate combat compared to Eternal’s frantic pace. The reaction has been cautiously optimistic, with fans trusting that id Software knows what they’re doing after the success of the modern reboots.
FAQs
What was DOOM 4?
DOOM 4 was a cancelled version of the franchise reboot that id Software developed from 2007 to 2013. It featured Earth-based military shooter gameplay with squad mechanics and cover systems, earning the nickname Call of DOOM before being scrapped in favor of what became DOOM 2016.
Why was DOOM 4 cancelled?
Id Software cancelled DOOM 4 because it had become too similar to modern military shooters like Call of Duty, losing the essential power fantasy and fast-paced aggression that defined the franchise. New leadership decided to restart development from scratch with a direction closer to the original games.
What happened to DOOM 4 assets?
Some assets were repurposed for RAGE since both games shared the id Tech 5 engine. Others were redesigned and incorporated into DOOM 2016. In December 2025, preservationists discovered and shared extensive concept art and assets that hadn’t been publicly seen before.
When did DOOM 2016 release?
DOOM 2016 launched on May 13, 2016, after an eight-year development cycle that included six years on the cancelled DOOM 4 project and roughly three years building the final game from scratch using id Tech 6.
Was Call of DOOM actually like Call of Duty?
The newly discovered assets show UI elements, weapon mods, objective markers, and squad mechanics very similar to military shooters. However, some argue it leaned more toward action-horror like Metro 2033, fighting demons in a ruined Earth setting rather than pure military simulation.
Can I play the cancelled DOOM 4?
No, the cancelled DOOM 4 never reached a playable state that was released publicly. Only concept art, early builds, and brief gameplay footage exist, mostly shared through preservation efforts and documentaries like Noclip’s coverage.
What is game preservation?
Game preservation involves documenting, archiving, and saving video game development history including cancelled projects, early builds, concept art, and design documents. It helps future developers learn from past decisions and maintains gaming history for cultural and educational purposes.
Will there be more DOOM games?
Yes, DOOM: The Dark Ages is currently in development and appears to take the franchise in a medieval-inspired direction while maintaining the core power fantasy gameplay that defines the modern reboots.
Why do people care about cancelled games?
Cancelled games offer fascinating insights into development processes, alternative visions for beloved franchises, and lessons about what works and what doesn’t in game design. They’re valuable historical artifacts that document creative evolution.
Conclusion
The newly discovered DOOM 4 assets represent a crucial piece of gaming history, documenting one of the industry’s most dramatic development turnarounds. What started as a misguided attempt to modernize DOOM with military shooter conventions became a cautionary tale about staying true to a franchise’s core identity. The fact that id Software had the courage to cancel years of work and start over, with Bethesda’s support, shows remarkable commitment to quality over deadlines. These preserved assets ensure that future developers can study what went wrong and understand the decisions that led to DOOM 2016’s triumphant success. The cancelled Call of DOOM might look interesting in concept art form, and some of the enemy designs are legitimately cool, but we all dodged a bullet. Instead of a competent but forgettable military shooter with demons, we got two of the greatest FPS games ever made and a franchise that’s stronger than it’s been in decades. That’s what happens when you choose to rip and tear through your own mistakes rather than shipping them anyway. The preservation community deserves credit for saving these assets and sharing them with the world, because understanding failures is just as important as celebrating successes.