Former id Software producer says the team faced the ‘worst crunch’ in the series’ history on Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations: ‘There were days where I didn’t see my son’
A former id Software producer has said the studio experienced the "worst crunch" in the Doom franchise's history while working on Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations, the expansion for the studio's recent shooter reboot. The comments highlight ongoing concerns about crunch culture in the video game industry, where staff are pushed to work excessive hours to meet release deadlines, often at a cost to their personal lives and wellbeing.
The producer described the toll the schedule took personally, recalling that there were days when they did not see their son due to the demands of the project. Full details of the article, including further context on the scale of the crunch and any response from id Software or publisher Bethesda, were not available in the text provided.
In short
- Ex-id Software producer calls Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations the "worst crunch" yet
- Producer says work demands meant missing time with their son
- Highlights persistent crunch concerns in game development
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Some argue that intense periods of work can be a practical response to ambitious creative goals and fixed release dates, especially when teams are trying to deliver a polished expansion. If the pressure is brief, fairly shared and freely agreed to, they may see it as a difficult trade-off that helps protect the project and the jobs depending on it.
The case against
Others argue that routinely demanding excessive hours shifts the cost of deadlines onto workers and their families, harming wellbeing and making the industry less sustainable. A producer missing time with their child illustrates why studios should plan realistically, manage scope and protect staff from prolonged crunch.
Explained simply
Doom is a long-running series of science-fiction shooter games made by id Software, a studio owned by publisher Bethesda. The Dark Ages is a recent game in the series, and Revelations is an expansion that adds more content to it.
“Crunch” is a term used in the games industry for periods of unusually long or intense work, often as a release deadline approaches. Reports of crunch have raised questions about how studios plan projects and the effects demanding schedules can have on workers’ health and family lives.
The producer’s account describes one person’s experience during development. The details provided do not say how widespread the long hours were or whether id Software or Bethesda responded.
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