DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
Image: id Software

It's a real bittersweet and frustrating time for games. The good news? Doom: The Dark Ages finally got its long-awaited Revelations expansion today, and it looks like a beefy slab of heavy metal demon-grinding. The bad news is that its developers, Id Software—one of the most veteran studios in games—have been hit by massive layoffs. "Most, if not all" of Id Software's coders - almost half the studio were cut loose as part of Microsoft's grand Xbox 'reboot' strategy, as covered by our sister site PureXbox.

While still technically active, that kind of hit suggests a difficult future for Id. As one of the oldest FPS studios in the world, with decades of institutional knowledge and expertise in optimizing cutting-edge game engines, losing that core part of the studio is a tragedy. Will Revelations be the last big-budget AAA Doom game? However things shake out, we wish the best to all the talented developers who lost their jobs and hope that they find new work soon.

As for the expansion itself, Revelations has been long-awaited, teased as part of the game's pricey Premium Edition release. It picks up the story after The Dark Ages' open ending, following the Slayer down into a frozen layer of hell after a betrayal by his Makyr handlers (on the nose, much?) and sending him on a quest to rip and tear the responsible parties. There's new enemies, weapons, and navigation tools promised. An early IGN preview of the Revelations noted that this is a big one, too, clocking in at 10-12 hours (longer than your average AAA FPS campaign), though much of that is 'endgame content'.

Good as all that sounds, it's also sadly worth noting that Microsoft and their studios (whether or not they're on life support) still fall under the BDS boycott umbrella due to Microsoft's enthusiastic, material support of the Israeli military. It's endlessly frustrating that deciding whether or not to buy the latest Doom (my favorite game series of all time) is an ethical minefield for multiple reasons. That's just how things are in 2026.

Doom: The Dark Ages is available on Steam at a steep Summer Sale discount, with the Revelations expansion out now for $20.