The Beef Between Video Game Developers John Romero and Sandy Petersen about DOOM–Explained
Id Software is one of the most celebrated studios in gaming history. The studio behind Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake has delighted gamers for over 30 years, and shows no signs of stopping. DOOM: The Dark Ages is set to be released on May 13 this year. Every game studio has its share of politics and social friction, and id Software is no stranger to controversy. One example of this is the feud between the legendary John Romero, one of id Software’s founders, and game designer Sandy Petersen, who was hired by John himself as a level designer. Last week saw a new chapter in this confrontation. Here’s the full story for those wondering what’s behind the drama.
Before getting started, it is important to note that even if I tend to have strong opinions about games and the game industry, I won’t be siding with any of the protagonists of this story. I’m just trying to expose how it all started while presenting Romero and Petersen’s latest posts on the matter.
Sandy Petersen joined id Software in 1993 to work on the first DOOM as a level designer. John Romero personally interviewed Petersen, and was reportedly happy with one of the level designs he was able to generate using DoomEd. This level would eventually become DOOM’s E2M6: Halls of the Damned. Petersen eventually became one of the most prolific level designers in id Software, creating 19 levels for DOOM and 17 levels for DOOM 2.
It all started in September 2022 when Sandy Petersen posted on X that DOOM 2 was a ‘quickie cash grab’ in reference to the game reusing some assets from the first game. Petersen mentions that DOOM 2 was apparently given to designers as ‘something to do while Quake was being built’.
John Romero replied less than a month defending DOOM 2’s development by emphasizing the game followed ‘a long pattern of id development’.
Last week, Sandy Petersen quoted a post from Kabrutus saying he was the one who actually ‘wrote the original DOOM backstory’.
Romero quoted Sandy shortly afterwards explaining that Tom Hall was the one who actually wrote the story for DOOM.
Tom Hall, a former editor of the Softdisk software bundle, served as id Software’s creative director and designer working on Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny and DOOM. He left id Software in 1993 to join Apogee, which would eventually become 3D Realms.
Hall wrote what is known as the DOOM Bible, the original design document for the original DOOM. You can consult it here. Tom Hall’s proposal for DOOM’s backstory.
Petersen even answered a question about Tom Hall’s Bible, but it seems he didn’t have access to it when he wrote the manual for the original DOOM.
All of this is clear evidence that game development, just like any other collaborative endeavor, implies human interaction which may result in discussions that turn into arguments and possible confrontations. DOOM is certainly not an exception to this rule.
What do YOU think about Romero and Sandy’s takes on the matter? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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I knew them both back in the day and they're both essentially talking about the same thing, albeit in different terms. Tom Hall did write the original document, but his concepts were mostly sidelined by a game design that was largely driven by the engine Carmack was creating. DOOM was more developed organically than designed per se, and to describe DOOM 2 as a cash-grab isn't really fair, since every successful game company of that era sought to get more than a single game out of the engine it had developed.
It would be more accurate to describe Heretic or other Doom engine-licensed games as cash grabs but that wouldn't be fair either.
A lot of Sandy's DOOM lore amounted to trying to pull things together and provide a story after the fact. But it's a mistake to think of the lore as if it preceded the game or dictated the design. The book MASTERS OF DOOM is quite informative and corresponds with my recollections.