Doom: The Dark Ages, the newest addition to id Software’s long-runningDoomseries, was released on PC and current-gen consoles last week, and so far, it’s received fairly positive reviews. Although some players think it isn’t as good asDoom(2016) andDoom Eternal, the game’s overall critic scores are on par with those of its predecessors. On Steam,Doom: The Dark Ageshas earned an 86% positive user rating, while on sites like OpenCritic, it has obtained an equally commendable 86% Top Critic Average.Doom: The Dark Agesprobably isn’t going to win many Game of the Year awards, but it seems to have lived up to most fans' expectations.
DespiteDoom: The Dark Ages' critical success, the game’s commercial performance has been brought into question by fans. On launch day, the game only had around 30,000concurrent players on Steam, which was far less than the player counts of the last two installments in the modernDoomtrilogy. To put this into numbers,Doom(2016) had an all-time peak of 44,000 players on the same storefront, whileDoom Eternalhad more than 100,000 players. Although some pundits are taking these low player counts as a sign thatDoom: The Dark Agesisn’t selling well, this may not be the case.
Many Factors Have Likely Contributed to Doom: The Dark Ages' Muted PC Launch
Despite Its Low Player Count on PC, Doom: TDA Seems to Be Doing Well on Consoles
While Steam player counts can provide a general idea of how popular a game is, they often don’t tell the whole story. In the case of multi-platform games likeDoom: The Dark Ages, for example, they don’t take console users into account.Doom: The Dark Agesis available on both PlayStation 5and Xbox Series X/S and, in the U.S. at least, it’s among the top 10 most played games on the two platforms. Even though Sony and Microsoft don’t provide official player counts for games on their consoles, this is still an achievement worth highlighting.
Since Doom: TDA is an Expensive Game, Some PC Gamers May Have Opted to Play It on Game Pass
Consoles aside, however, there are probably a few factors that influencedDoom: The Dark Ages' commercial performance on PC. One of these is the fact thatthe game is available on PC Game Pass. Since it’s a Microsoft first-party title,Doom: The Dark Ageswas released onto the service on day one, unlike any of the modernDoomgames before it. Because of this, some PC gamers may have opted to play the game on Game Pass instead of buying it on Steam.
Even though they were also released on Game Pass,The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion RemasteredandClair Obscur: Expedition 33had far more concurrent players on Steam thanDoom: The Dark Ages. It’s possible that people were too occupied with these two games to giveDooma shot.
It’s worth noting thatDoom: The Dark Agesis a considerably more expensive game than bothDoom EternalandDoom(2016). Unlike its predecessors, which cost $60 worldwide, the game is $70 in the United States. However, in some countries, it has an even higher price tag attached to it. In the United Kingdom, for instance,Doom: The Dark Agescosts ₤70, or roughly $93 when converted to USD. For comparison,Doom Eternalcost only ₤50 in the U.K. at launch, which was much lower thanDoom: The Dark Ages’s price, even when accounting for inflation.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Gave Doom Eternal a Massive Boost
Doom: The Dark Ages' player count on Steam could have been higher if it were not for these factors, but the game likely wouldn’t have been able to matchDoom Eternal’s level of popularity regardless.Doom Eternal, as many may know by now, was released in 2020, rightin the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since everyone was stuck at home at the time, most video games sold far better than they typically would’ve under normal circumstances. This is probably part of the reason whyDoom Eternalhad more than twice the number of Steam players at launch compared toDoom: The Dark Ages, meaning that the current game’s player count shouldn’t be taken at face value.
WHERE TO PLAY
BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELLDOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.REIGN IN HELLAs the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for.STAND AND FIGHTExperience an epic story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMSIn his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id’s largest and most expansive levels to date.
