Mick Gordon’s extensive statement on his experiences working on Doom Eternal has received a response from Bethesda.
In an online statement, Bethesda claims that Gordon’s depiction of the creation of Doom Eternal’s soundtrack “both mischaracterized and misrepresented the team at id Software” and that they “unambiguously endorse Marty [Stratton], Chad [Mossholder, audio designer], and the team at id Software.”
You can read Bethesda’s statement in full below. Bethesda further states that it “rejects the distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete ‘facts’.”
If you’re hearing about this now, Doom Eternal’s Collector’s Edition received some negative feedback from gamers when they discovered that the game’s soundtrack only included 11 songs from its composer, Mick Gordon. Following the uproar, the head of Id Software’s studio, Marty Stratton, posted an “open letter” on Reddit in 2020, saying that Gordon had under-delivered and delayed the soundtrack, forcing Chad Mossholder, the company’s audio designer, to generate the final 48 tracks. Then, this week, Gordon posted a lengthy narrative on Medium in which she claimed that Stratton had lied in the open letter and had promised her a “six-figure money” to be silent. Bethesda is now defending Stratton and the Id Software team in a statement posted on Twitter.
According to a statement from Bethesda, Mick Gordon “mischaracterized and distorted the team at Id Software” in his version of the events surrounding the soundtrack for Doom Eternal. The company describes Gordon’s version of events as a “distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete “facts,” claiming that it is aware of the specifics and history of the relationship between Id Software and Gordon and “unequivocally supports Marty, Chad, and the team at Id Software.” However, Bethesda asserts that it also has “full and comprehensive documented evidence to release in an appropriate place as needed.” Mick Gordon’s statement from last week was supported by multiple screenshots and emails that were presented as proof to support the assertions made.
Marty Stratton, the executive producer of Doom Eternal, expressed worries about Gordon’s capacity to complete the soundtrack and the quality of the Doom Eternal music in a public statement in 2020.
Two years later, Gordon responded to Stratton in-depth on Medium, disputing his claims that the game’s soundtrack was not paid for in full by id Software and that Stratton was an unpleasant figure who imposed crunch and refused to collaborate with Gordon on fixing the game’s development problems.
Gordon wrote, “I’ve had many great experiences in the game industry. My ‘collaboration’ with Marty Stratton wasn’t one of them.” Gordon added, “I never quit DOOM. I quit a toxic client.”
Gordon has a long history of collaboration with id, first on Wolfenstein and then on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for Doom 2016. As of right now, Gordon is identified as the Atomic Heart game’s composer.
IGN has contacted Gordon for a statement; if one is received, we’ll let you know.
