id Software, the studio behind Doom, has confirmed that it is already working on its next game, with Hugo Martin returning as game director. Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma shared the news on X during Xbox’s 25th anniversary FanFest celebrations in Seattle. It came with a release date for Slaughter Mode, a new Doom: The Dark Ages update landing on November 16.
Sharma wrote that few studios have shaped the first-person shooter genre as much as id Software. She confirmed that Slaughter Mode would reach Doom: The Dark Ages on November 16 and that the team was already working on its next game. The studio followed up, saying it was incredibly excited about the project, built by its teams in Texas and Frankfurt, with Martin once again handling game direction. It added that it would be some time before it was ready to share more.
What We Know About id Software’s Next Game
For now, everything about the project is unknown. id Software has not revealed a title, a franchise, a story, a release window or platforms. It has shown no teaser, no gameplay footage and no artwork. The only certainties are the studio, the director and the two teams building it. That is a thin announcement: a confirmation that work has started, not a reveal. Martin was creative director on the 2016 Doom reboot and directed Doom Eternal and Doom: The Dark Ages, so keeping the same director suggests the studio wants the next game to carry the creative hand behind its modern run.
The studio’s history explains why the news carries weight. Founded in Texas in 1991, id Software built the modern first-person shooter almost from scratch, first with Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 and then with the original Doom in 1993, a game so influential that its name became shorthand for the whole genre. Microsoft bought ZeniMax, its owner, in 2021, bringing id Software into Xbox.
The obvious guesses are another Doom, a return to Quake or something entirely new. Doom is the studio’s biggest name, and The Dark Ages closed the modern trilogy that began in 2016, so a fresh start is a natural next step. Quake shaped online multiplayer in the nineteen-nineties but has not had a major new entry in years. A brand new series is the hardest option to predict, because id Software has built its name on two franchises for more than thirty years.
Some background helps explain why the announcement was so careful. Bethesda head Jill Braff had told staff the company would focus development planning on its strongest franchises, without naming id Software’s next game. The studio has also lost staff in Microsoft’s recent layoffs, although its executives have said they have enough people to deliver the next project. Announcing early, with a trusted director attached, reads as a way of telling fans the studio is still moving forward.
Doom Slaughter Mode Arrives November 16
Before the next game arrives, players have something concrete to look forward to. Slaughter Mode is an endless single-player challenge built around rounds that grow steadily harder, with randomised enemies, bosses and arenas. Players earn Skulls by clearing rounds and spend them on Slayer skins, weapon skins and profile icons. At checkpoints, they face a choice: bank the Skulls they have earned, or risk them for a higher multiplier and keep fighting.
The update is free for players who own the Revelations expansion, the Premium Edition or the Premium Upgrade, and it arrives on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, PC through Steam and Battle.net, and Game Pass. Bethesda has already released an official trailer. November 16 is the last big date on The Dark Ages calendar, after which the studio’s attention turns fully to what comes next.
What the Announcement Really Means
The double announcement pairs a firm date for something players can touch soon with a vague promise about the future. Slaughter Mode is the real news of the week: it gives Doom: The Dark Ages a reason to be played again and closes the book on a game that has carried the studio for the past year. The next game is a statement of intent, telling fans that id Software is not winding down after The Dark Ages.
It also arrived on a stage built for nostalgia. The Seattle FanFest closed a tour marking twenty-five years since the original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001, and the same event brought news that Wolfenstein 3 is in production at MachineGames. Xbox used its birthday to remind players of the studios it owns, and id Software’s next game was part of that message, even if the game itself is still years from being shown.
For now, the honest summary is short. id Software has a new game in development, Hugo Martin is directing it, and the studio will talk about it when it is ready. Everything else is guesswork. The game worth watching this month is Slaughter Mode, arriving on November 16, free for expansion owners, and the last word on Doom: The Dark Ages before its makers move on.
