Steed On New Doom

Stomped has posted an interview with the recently departed ex-idder Paul Steed, who is currently doing contract work for American McGee's Alice (another ex-idder, coincidentally). The interview mostly covers Steed's ambition to create his own game studio but also talks about the new Doom game a little. Cutty pasty:

Stomped: What are your feelings on id being able to create a new Doom well? Will it be able to live up to expectations?

Steed: Well, as far as id goes, there's really...you know, id is obviously a different company than when the original Doom series was created. Can anything as huge as DOOM be ever re-created? I mean, I remember when people found out I made computer games for a living they'd invariably say something like, "You make computer games? Like DOOM?" So at one point computer games and 'DOOM' are synonymous in the majority of the public's eye. One of the things I worry about with a new DOOM game is the magic of the first series being so firmly entrenched in our minds that it will color perceptions and opinions of the new one. John Carmack has a definite vision of what he wants to see in the new Doom. Hopefully the team will support him and enhance the ideas he proposes. DOOM was created in a relatively simple technological time. Doing it today requires a dedication to sophistication and attention to detail that people look for in a single player experience. Can a DOOM live up to the public's expectations? In the end…probably not. Fuck 'em, I say. Make the game you want to make with a singular vision and commitment to consistency…the game will rock. Bow to that five or ten percent of the vocal bitchers and whiners and you'll fail. Ultimately however, regardless the direction, the new DOOM will be a direct reflection of the people who make it.