Bethesda is going to remove mandatory login from re-releases of the first three Doom games
Game publisher Bethesda is going to remove the Bethesda account requirement from the Doom, Doom II and Doom 3 re-releases. Players weren’t happy with the requirement, which obviously wasn’t present in the original games.
IGN writes that users had to log in once with Doom and Doom II, but with Doom 3 the login had to be done every time before the game was fully accessible. A case can be made for this to be a form of DRM in practice. Players were dissatisfied not only because the original releases didn’t have this requirement at all, but also because the games don’t have online multiplayer, making internet access not a technical requirement for the game to run.
According to Bethesda ‘the login should be optional’ and will now be removed, but a date for this update is not planned. A login to such an account makes it possible to earn extras with the official Doom fan club, including in-game items for the upcoming Doom Eternal. The re-releases came out last Friday for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4, in celebration of Doom’s 25th anniversary. Parts 1 and 2 cost 4.99 euros and Doom 3 is in the shop window for 9.99 euros.
Coinciding with the announcement of the Doom re-releases, game maker id Software also provided an extensive demonstration of the multiplayer mode in Doom Eternal, in which players can take on the role of the demons.