Doom 2016 Composer Mick Gordon Would Return to the Series 'In a Heartbeat'

Mick Gordon, the renowned Australian composer who injected adrenaline-pumping riffs into every headshot in 2016's Doom and its 2020 sequel Doom Eternal, has told IGN that he's open to contributing to future entries in id Software's legendary shooter franchise. Speaking at PAX Australia over the weekend, Gordon hinted that his time with Doom might not be over for good, despite the highly publicized falling-out between him and the Doom Eternal development team after the game's release.

"There are a lot of dominoes that would have to fall in a very specific way for that to occur," Gordon said. "If those dominoes ever fell in that way, I would. Of course. Within a heartbeat."

Gordon didn't specify what those "dominoes" are, but it's likely that unresolved tensions remain between him and Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton. In a detailed 2022 Medium post, Gordon accused id Software of not paying him for half of his work on the Doom Eternal soundtrack, and called out Stratton for being consistently abusive during his work on the score and OST. Still, it appears the ordeal hasn't soured Gordon's affection for Doom itself.

"I had a whole list of ideas where I wanted to go with Doom," Gordon explained. "And I'd love to explore that one day, for sure."

What lies ahead for Doom, with or without Gordon, is uncertain. id Software was among the studios hit hard by Microsoft's ongoing cutbacks to its Xbox division, with 136 employees at the Doom developer laid off in July. At the time, lead services programmer Chris Hays remarked, "It's hard to make a game that is AAA, that's like we've done before, with half the people. And by hard, I mean impossible."

Meanwhile, Gordon has been busy with various projects. He composed the theme for the final boss fight in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, set to launch on October 14. He's also actively producing the full soundtrack for Defect, a squad-based cyberpunk shooter from veterans of Doom and Call of Duty. In 2027, he'll return to Doom at least in a performance capacity, headlining the UK's RADAR music festival where he'll perform his Doom and Doom Eternal music with a full live band for the first time.