Bethesda has quickly reversed a requirement for an online account in order to play the games
Bethesda has re-released the original Doom, Doom II and Doom 3 games for modern platforms including Android, iOS, the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One to mark the 25th anniversary of the first game's release. The announcement was made at the annual Quakecon event, which is organised to celebrate id Software's classic and modern-day games. However, controversy erupted soon after the announcement when it emerged that gamers would need to sign in to an online Bethesda account in order to play these games. The company has now decided to reverse this.
The company clarified in a tweet that the requirement to sign in was intended to tie in to a pre-release campaign for the upcoming Doom: Eternal. A patch will soon be released to make this optional. Players who still choose to sign in will earn rewards through the Slayers Club, which is Bethesda's official fan club for the Doom franchise.
It isn't clear exactly how the rewards programme was intended to work. Those who tried to play Doom and Doom II, which were both first released before Internet access was commonplace, were only required to sign in once. Doom 3 required gamers to sign in each time they launched it.
Many gamers took to social media to protest the message, which read "A Bethesda.net account is required to play this title. Please connect to the Internet to continue", pointing out that neither of the original Doom games have any features or capabilities that require Internet access, not even online multi-player.
The three games have been re-released for Android and iOS as well as the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 platforms. Versions of the original Doom game have been released for iOS and Xbox platforms in the past, but not as part of a large collection.
In India, Doom and Doom II are available in the Google Play Store for Android, priced at Rs. 410 each, while both cost Rs. 399 each in the iOS App Store. Additional levels, including the Thy Flesh Consumed and Master Levels packs are included with the purchases.
Bethesda is also holding a Quakecon sale on Steam till July 30, during which the Doom games along with many other titles are available at discounts of up to 80 percent.
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