"DOOM: The Dark Ages Launches with 3 Million Players, id Software's Largest Ever"

DOOM: The Dark Ages has stormed onto the scene, achieving an impressive milestone as id Software's biggest launch with a staggering 3 million players. Released just last week, this latest entry in the iconic franchise has been met with enthusiastic acclaim and high scores from numerous review platforms. Bethesda proudly announced on their X (formerly Twitter) account on May 21 that the game reached this remarkable player count, outpacing their previous title, DOOM: Eternal, by a factor of seven in terms of speed to this milestone.

However, it's worth noting that there are some discrepancies in the reported figures. Superdata's 2020 estimate suggested that DOOM: Eternal hit 3 million players within just 10 days of its launch. These numbers were estimates, and Bethesda never officially confirmed them. When comparing the two games, it's crucial to consider broader contexts. For instance, DOOM: Eternal was released before ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, was acquired by Microsoft. This meant DOOM: Eternal was not available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, unlike DOOM: The Dark Ages, which was available on PC Game Pass from day one.

The availability on PC Game Pass has influenced the game's performance on Steam. According to SteamDB, DOOM: The Dark Ages achieved an all-time peak of 31,470 players, significantly lower than the 104,891 peak players DOOM: Eternal saw at its launch. Analyst firm Ampere estimates that 2 million of DOOM: The Dark Ages' players come from Xbox.

Despite these figures, the fanbase has embraced DOOM: The Dark Ages as one of the best in the series. Here at Game8, we awarded the game an impressive score of 88 out of 100, praising its brutal renaissance of the DOOM series. The game shifts away from the aerial combat style of DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, opting instead for a grittier, more grounded combat experience. For a deeper dive into our thoughts on the game, be sure to check out our detailed article below!