The long-missing invasion mode in Doom Eternal has been canceled as Id Software shifts its focus to a fresh new PvE horde mode.
Invasions, one of the coolest-sounding features announced ahead of the release of Doom Eternal, would have had you hopping into other players’ games, Dark Souls-style, to offer them a meatier challenge by taking the shape of one of hell’s demons. However, after its absence at launch was followed by the announcement that it will be available later as a free update, the company today revealed that it has ceased development on the competitive feature.
Id said earlier today on Twitter that it wants to shift away from invasions and towards a new single-player horde mode.
“As many of you are aware, we planned to provide a free Invasion Mode update for the game; but, the unanticipated repercussions of the pandemic and remote working slowed production for this feature. We’ve also seen and heard how many of you appreciate the variety of gameplay and fighting accessible in the expansions and master levels throughout this period. With these considerations in mind, we’ve chosen to shift our emphasis away from Invasion Mode and toward developing a whole new single-player horde mode.”
Aside from a completely new mode, Id also intends to significantly update the game’s 2v1 asymmetrical Battlemode. Many of the elements that would have been included in Invasions have already been captured in the demons vs. slayer deathmatch, and Id intends to spice it up with a new map, balancing improvements, and a new competitive, rank-based structure.
It would have been fascinating to see how a Souls-style invasion system would have played out in Doom’s horrific battlefields. This new survival challenge should more than makeup for its absence.
