OPINION — It’s Doom’s 30th Anniversary, but what about Mick Gordon?
It is no secret to many I know that I absolutely love the Doom series, but in particular, I love the modern Doom games, Doom (2016) and especially Doom Eternal (2020). I remember when Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons released on the exact same day. It was the gaming world’s version of the ‘Barbenheimer’ trend, aptly (and creatively) nicknamed ‘Doom Crossing: Eternal Horizons’. When I first played Doom Eternal, about late 2022, I played through the main game in the span of four days, and the DLC in the span of about two, because, the game is absolutely awesome. There is nothing like just brutally massacring demons all day with absolutely parodic levels of gore. Some may find it repetitive, to whom I tell to enjoy it for what it is! And all of the boss fights and levels and arena stages are the epitome of awesome.
Another great element of the modern Doom games is the absolutely epic metal soundtrack. Featuring dark, distorted synths accompanied by the epic growl of the 8-string guitar. The composer of these soundtracks is Australian composer Mick Gordon. When I first heard Doom (2016)’s soundtrack, it absolutely captured the essence of being the Doomguy (yes, that’s his name, and yes, it’s spelt as a compound word) and absolutely obliterating anything in his path.
However, with the release of the Doom Eternal OST, there was some controversy. The OST (Official Soundtrack) is a different thing to the actual score; the game’s score is simply the music in the game. The OST is the album that accompanies the score, which may feature an alternate mix or, in some cases, new tracks entirely.
A general rule of thumb in the gaming world is that if it’s written, recorded, and mixed by Mick Gordon, so, that’s a given, which is why so many were surprised when the OST just… wasn’t that good. The composition was great, but the production was overall sloppy. The 12 tracks that were mixed by Mick sounded brilliant, for the others, Bethesda got an insider producer by the name of Chad Mossholder, and… it was rough.
It’s a shame, considering the effort that Mick put in to the soundtrack, even constructing a ‘heavy metal choir’, giving a haunting chorus of metal screams to accompany some songs. I personally think that the Mossholder mix isn’t a terrible job, but when you compare the wavelengths to recurring Doom (2016) songs like ‘BFG Division’, it’s night and day, particularly when you look at the wavelengths. It still sounds brilliant in game, but when you listen to the OST, it’s a bit… dull… at times. And yes, the game’s soundtrack is mixed better, but the OST is what people will listen to when they’re not playing the game.
When fans noticed this, Marty Stratton, Id Software’s executive producer (Id Software are the developers of the Doom series, while Bethesda are the publishers), posted an open letter on the Doom subreddit, in which he accused Mick Gordon of being lazy and constantly missing deadlines.
Three years later, Mick Gordon responded in a 14,000+ word long Medium post. I’ve read novella’s shorter than that. This post was so long, that it had a table of contents, and the average reading time clocked in at about an hour. And yes, this post featured an overwhelming amount of evidence. It’s honestly hard to even summarise. If you want the full story, you’ll have to read it for yourself:
He made many allegations against Id software, Bethesda, and Marty Stratton. He claimed that he was given no gameplay footage or concept art to work off, from what Mick has written, there were absolutely mental deadlines (Mick even writes about working 18–20 hour days), the musical awards Mick received are in the Id Software offices, he even claims he’s only seen them once: locked away behind glass. And, perhaps the most bombshell accusation: Mick hasn’t been fully paid for Doom Eternal’s music. There are many other horrible things Mick has had to endure, and when Marty made the infamous reddit post, Mick was allegedly offered a six figure sum to stay silent; they offered him a six figure gag order.
When Bethesda responded, they threatened to also have bombshell evidence against Gordon, but it’s literally been over a year, and we still have yet to see it released, so, it’s most likely a complete fib.
That was over a year ago, and that Medium post remains greatest internet defence I have ever seen, for it shows how scummy and unethical the video game industry can be.
As a guitarist and aspiring musician myself, Gordon’s talent as a musician is astounding, and the alleged abuse at the hands of Id Software and Bethesda is utterly despicable.
Now, it’s Doom’s 30th anniversary, and there has been nothing beyond that. Luckily, thanks to the overwhelming support for Gordon, he has gotten work since then. He composed the Atomic Heart (2023) soundtrack, he has worked with metal bands Bring Me The Horizon, Motionless in White, and even featured on the Monuments single Lavos.
But we need an update from Bethesda. Mick Gordon needs to be paid. Id Software and Marty Stratton need to be held accountable for this, and there needs to be changes in the videogame industry.
We can’t have hard working people, like Mick, abused and overworked by these executives. This is slowly becoming the norm for the industry, which is scary, and the industry needs more regulation.