The historical details surrounding id Software's seminal 1993 first-person shooter, Doom, are currently the subject of a debate on social media between two of its creators: co-creator John Romero and level and game designer Sandy Petersen.
The dispute began when Petersen posted a thread on X, formerly Twitter, discussing the origins of Doom's groundbreaking Deathmatch player-vs-player multiplayer mode. He recounted a prior experience with a 1990 real-time strategy game called Command HQ, which he felt demonstrated that games with modem-based head-to-head play were unlikely to succeed, stating that it "bombed" commercially. Petersen claimed that he and others at id Software believed it was unlikely that Doom's Deathmatch mode would be widely played, though they kept it in the game because the team enjoyed it themselves.
Romero responded to Petersen's recollection, stating that his memory was inaccurate. Romero asserted that as early as January 1, 1993, eight months before Petersen joined id Software, the company issued a press release stating that multiplayer would be a feature in Doom. This press release, according to Romero, predicted that multiplayer would become "the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world," indicating the team's strong belief in its potential. Romero suggested that Petersen's narrative might be an attempt to increase his online following.
Petersen then replied to Romero, reiterating that he had no knowledge of events prior to his joining the company. He stated that during discussions after he joined, he shared his Command HQ experience, and that Romero himself agreed that Deathmatch might not be a significant feature. Petersen expressed happiness that his predictions were wrong and suggested Romero should verify his own memory.
Romero concluded the online exchange by reaffirming his stance. He stated that his memory was intact and that other team members shared his recollection that the team knew Deathmatch would be successful from the outset. He added that the game's eventual success confirmed these early expectations.
Regardless of the differing recollections regarding its pre-release anticipation, Doom's Deathmatch mode proved immensely popular upon the game's release in December 1993. Its impact on the first-person shooter genre is widely acknowledged, with subsequent titles in the genre tracing lineage back to Doom's innovations.