A couple of weeks ago, DOOM Eternal composer Mick Gordon took to social media to reveal that the game's soundtrack had not been mixed by him, and that he wouldn't even have done it like that in the first place. Someone asked him if was open to work on another DOOM and Gordon replied with a "doubt we'll work together again," which left some fans of the series gutted.
While there wasn't much information about what had happened that caused this whole situation, that was only Mick Gordon's side of the story.
Just a few hours ago, DOOM Eternal Executive Producer Marty Stratton shared an open letter on the official r/Doom subreddit on Reddit, in which he addressed the whole controversy regarding the game's soundtrack and Composer Mick Gordon; shedding some light on the situation.
Stratton decides to tackle the issue head on, and reveals that Mick Gordon revealing on social media that he would no longer be working with Bethesda and id Software in the future was a surprise to them, since they never discussed ending their collaboration until that moment.
"When asked on social media about his future with DOOM, Mick has replied, “doubt we’ll work together again.” This was surprising to see, as we have never discussed ending our collaboration with him until now - but his statement does highlight a complicated relationship. Our challenges have never been a matter of creative differences."
Stratton also reveals that creative differences were never an issue, as Mick Gordon was given limitless creative control over the music he composed for both DOOM(2016) and DOOM Eternal, and that he was also pretty much in charge of the soudntrack's mixing as well.
"Mick has had near limitless creative autonomy over music composition and mixing in our recent DOOM games, and I think the results have been tremendous. His music is defining - and much like Bobby Prince’s music was synonymous with the original DOOM games from the 90s, Mick’s unique style and sound have become synonymous with our latest projects. He’s deserved every award won, and I hope his incredible score for DOOM Eternal is met with similar accolades – he will deserve them all."
Here's when things get trickier, as Stratton does reveal that there were some communication problems between Gordon and id Software, which led to trust issues that could not be avoided.
"Talent aside," Straton continues "we have struggled to connect on some of the more production-related realities of development, while communication around those issues have eroded trust. For id, this has created an unsustainable pattern of project uncertainty and risk."
Ultimately, what caused boh parties to collide was id Software's decision to ask their own Lead Audio Designer to work on id versions of the tracks that Gordon had composed; all of this because Mick Gordon had been taking longer than initially promised to work on the tracks for the Collector's Edition of the game. A deadline that he would eventually not be able to meet.
Stratton also mentions that Gordon was concerned that Chad(id Software's Lead Audio Designer) was also credited as co-composer, but this was not the case at all, as Gordon is credited as the soundtrack's sole composer and Chad is only credited as a contributing artist.
All in all, this could've probably been avoided if both parties had been able to communicate their intentions better. Regardless, it is definitely gutting to see that Mick Gordon and id Software will not be working together again.
Marty Stratton's letter is quite lengthy, so we encourage you to read it in its entirety on Reddit's official subreddit for DOOM by clicking right here.
DOOM Eternal puts you in control of the DOOM Slayer as you blow apart new and classic demons with powerful weapons in unbelievable and never-before-seen worlds. Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power as you rip and tear your way across dimensions with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat.
DOOM Eternal is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Nintendo Switch version expected to release soon.