id Software Brushes Upon Controversy With Doom Eternal Composer, DLC On The Way Without Mick Gordon

Following the recent release of Doom Eternal into April, discussion started to surface regarding the game’s Composer Mick Gordon. According to a discussion he had with a fan on Instagram, Gordon shared that he “doubt[s]” the chances to be working with id Software again following the recently released sequel. Now in a separate Reddit post, id Software has addressed the situation on its relationship with Mick Gordon.

Marty Stratton, id Software Executive Producer, made a post sharing the events prior to the game’s release and the situation at hand regarding Gordon’s contributions to the game’s soundtrack. Off the bat, Stratton denounces previous claims that the studio hindered Gordon’s creative process when sculpting his own tracks for the OST, stating that he has “near limitless creative autonomy over music composition and mixing in our recent DOOM games.”

Adding on, he tells that the news of the severed partnership between Gordon and id Software came as a surprise since the composer never discussed previously cutting ties with the developer. Gordon was appointed to work on the OST for Doom Eternal which would be included in the Collector’s Edition for the game mixing at least 12 songs. However, near the end of February, Gordon shared to need more time as the aimed timeframe for the following month would be impossible to achieve.

Stratton tells to comply with the additional necessary time with six more weeks to work on the music on Gordon’s behalf. At the same time, id Software also had to work on figuring what to do for the OST if Gordon could not reach completion with the extended time given, Gordon Shares to provide 30 songs with the extension on his contracted work. During that, id Software Lead Audio Designer Chad Mossholder started creating mixes for the soundtrack as the Collector’s Edition was pushed to April.

In early April, I sent an email to Mick reiterating the importance of hitting his extended contractual due date and outlined in detail the reasons we needed to meet our commitments to our customers. I let him know that Chad had started work on the back-up tracks but reiterated that our expectation and preference was to release what he delivered. Several days later, Mick suggested that he and Chad (working on the back-up) combine what each had been working on to come up with a more comprehensive release.

Stratton went to disclose that Gordon only managed to conjure 9 of the 12 songs he was contracted to arrange, sharing that what was provided was underwhelming for the game. The Executive Producer explains that only one song was “heavy-combat music” that was envisioned for the game while the remaining best suited the intermission/calm segments of the game. Gordon goes on to suggest to use Mossholder’s tracks for the requested high-intensity OST.

Once the Collector’s Edition released on April 19, fans who listened to the soundtrack started to question the mixing as the wavelength showed to be different to Gordon’s. When questioned online, Gordon stated to not “mix those and wouldn’t have done that.” The response online entailed harassment towards Mossholder which began to “distress” the id Software employee.

Furthermore, Stratton tells that Gordon did not attempt to diffuse the situation from his involvement online and was later contacted to discuss his comments on social media. Gordon shared to be displeased with the outcome of the OST – where Stratton explains that id Software again did not interfere with his creative ingenuity with the soundtrack.

Lastly, Gordon was concerned to be losing credit on his work for the final OST, but Stratton goes on to clarify that is not the case. Instead, Mossholder was only listed as a ‘contributing artist’ in the credits as Gordon was still given the title as sole composer. Stratton turns the situation to reveal that id Software is working on a new DLC for Doom Eternal, but without Gordon’s involvement due to the entire situation.

As for the immediate future, we are at the point of moving on and won’t be working with Mick on the DLC we currently have in production. As I’ve mentioned, his music is incredible, he is a rare talent, and I hope he wins many awards for his contribution to DOOM Eternal at the end of the year.

Ultimately, Stratton recognizes Gordon’s efforts for the final OST for Doom Eternal, but he is saddened with the outcome of the relationship that was blossoming over the years. Gordon has worked on other Bethesda projects like Prey (2017), Wolfenstein: New Order, and follow-up Wolfenstein: New Colossus.

What is your take on the entire scenario at hand shared by Stratton?

Doom Eternal is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia.

Source: Reddit