Doom Eternal’s post-launch Invasion mode, which would have enabled other players to jump into your single-player campaign as demons, is deader than a Cacodemon’s dating profile. Id announced today that the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact was a major factor in dropping development. Instead of letting other players cosplay as enemies in your game, they’ll turn their attention to a single-player horde mode instead.
Executive Producer Marty Stratton broke the news on Twitter, citing the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact as being the key culprit behind its cancellation. He said:
“As many are aware, we intended to release a free Invasion Mode update for the game; however, the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic and remote working impacted the progress of development for this addition. Over this time, we have also seen and heard how many of you enjoy the range of gameplay and combat available in the expansions and master levels. With these factors in mind, we have decided to redirect our focus from Invasion Mode to creating a totally new single-player horde mode. We’re confident this horde mode will offer you more of the diversity and challenge you’re looking for in the game.”
I’m not confident, personally. It’s not a like-for-like replacement, and I enjoy that frisson of terror that comes when you’re playing a game and all of a sudden you have an unpredictable element to deal with. A horde mode is a good thing to have, but I prefer the excitement of sneaky PvP. I understand what’s going on, but I can also look at one mode and the other and see there’s a huge difference between the two.
At least they’re working on making Battlemode, the 2-v-1 mode with a pair of demons fighting a single slayer, a bit more interesting. More on the additional competitive ranked updates to that will be announced at QuakeCon in August.