id Software's follow-up to 2016's spiritual reboot of the Doom series, simply titled Doom Eternal, has been a huge success. The studio's consistent post-launch updates and content has played a huge role in this. However, while id Software has mostly stayed true to its promises, and then some, it looks like it's shelving part of its initial plans.
Invasion Mode, which was a planned playable multiplayer mode for Doom Eternal, would have let players take on the role of demons as they invaded the campaigns of other players.
Unfortunately, players will never get a chance to see Invasion Mode in action.
Invasion Mode Out, Horde Mode In
According to an update from Marty Stratton, the game's executive producer, Doom Eternal won't be getting an Invasion Mode as planned. Marty explains that the pandemic slowed down development of the planned mode considerably. Because of this, id Software had no choice but to focus on its other plans instead.
No worries though, because those other plans might turn out to be a lot better for Doom Eternal than the canceled Invasion Mode.
First up is the single-player Horde Mode. Unfortunately, id Software seems intent on keeping the contents of the new mode a secret until the all-digital QuakeCon 2021, which is scheduled for August 19, 2021.
Judging from the name, we'd be surprised if it doesn't end up involving killing waves of dozens if not hundreds of demons. Hopefully, it won't have as many marauders - those are just a pain to deal with.
In addition to the all-new Horde Mode, id Software also plans on introducing a refresh to an existing mode, Battlemode. The 2v1 multiplayer experience lets two players team up together as demons against one Doomslayer.
What’s Next for id Software?
id Software originally intended for Invasion Mode to launch alongside Doom Eternal before being announced as a free, post-launch update. Since then, fans have eagerly awaited its arrival. But, we now know it will never come.
Had Invasion Mode launched as planned, it would have been a great deal. Even though Eternal's AI isn't half-bad and the enemies pose quite a challenge, nothing really beats human ingenuity. Letting players take on the role of demons would have made life a living hell (pun intended) for anyone unfortunate enough to get invaded.
Now that things have changed, it will be interesting to see what happens to Eternal and all the work that id Software put towards the Invasion Mode.
Maybe the studio thought that it was too good to be a free mode and will make a whole new game of it instead? After all, an unannounced id Software game was spotted in Australia.
id Software also just released the next-gen version of Doom Eternal for the Xbox Series S/X and the PS5. While mostly successful, the launch wasn't all smooth sailing. In particular, fans on the PS5 had several complaints. For one, there was a slight performance disparity between the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. Not to mention, the game currently has no option to let PS5 owners carry their campaign progress from the PS4 to the PS5.
id Software has yet to provide an explanation on either issue.
