Phil Spencer Briefly Explains the Decision to Bring Doom: The Dark Ages to PlayStation 5 – IGN Live 2024

Xbox head Phil Spencer stopped by IGN Live for a chat following today’s Xbox Showcase, talking about some of the biggest reveals and announcements. One of those was not only the reveal of Doom: The Dark Ages, but the announcement that it would be coming to PlayStation 5 as well.

Asked about the decision by IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey, Spencer attributed the decision, at least partially, to id Software Studio Director Marty Stratton.

“Doom is definitely one of those franchises that has a history of so many platforms,” Spencer explained. “It’s a franchise that I think everyone deserves to play. When I was in a meeting with Marty a couple years ago, I asked Marty what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to sell it on all platforms. Simple as that.”

After rampant rumors and anticipation, Doom: The Dark Ages was officially unveiled at today’s Xbox Showcase, and it was also confirmed that it would be headed to PlayStation 5 as well as Xbox Series X/S and PC. It marked confirmation of a recent Notepad report that the next Doom installment would be part of the so-called “Project Latitude,” which is reportedly the internal name for Xbox’s continuing push to bring its first-party titles to rival consoles.

That multi-platform push formally started back in February when Xbox announced that four exclusives that would be headed to rival consoles: Grounded, Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sea of Thieves. At the time, Xbox explained the move by saying in an Xbox Wire post that, “to ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the industry as a whole, we must continue to evolve.”

As for what else we know about Doom: The Dark Ages, it’s a prequel that includes dark fantasy with a medieval-inspired theme. Xbox said today following the showcase that it “puts players behind the visor of the mighty Slayer as they battle demonic hordes in grounded, hard-hitting combat inside an epic, cinematic tale of gods, kings and monsters.”

Doom: The Dark Ages is set to release sometime in 2025. For more, check out everything that was announced at today’s Xbox Showcase, and stay tuned for more from our exclusive chat with Phil Spencer.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.