Imagine working on a major VR game expansion for months on end, pouring your heart and soul into it, only to have it released with barely a whisper of fanfare. That’s what happened with Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations, a DLC (downloadable content) pack that dropped recently without much ado. But behind the scenes, the story was quite different. According to an interview with Andrew Willis, former producer at Id Software, the team worked under intense crunch to get the project out the door in just three or four months.
Willis revealed that he and his colleagues put in 60 to 80 hour weeks, with some days stretching up to 17 hours of work. “It was brutal,” he recalled. The overtime was so severe that Willis admitted to missing out on quality time with his son, sacrificing entire days to meet the project’s deadlines. He wasn’t alone; the entire team was putting in extreme hours, with many developers working longer than they had ever done before.
The decision to work such long hours was not an official company mandate, but rather a necessary evil to get the project completed on time. Willis described it as a “blurry line” between overwork and pseudo-induced crunch, where team members felt pressured to put in extra hours to meet expectations. The result was a DLC pack that met the quality standards of Doom: The Dark Ages’ loyal fan base.
The story raises questions about the ethics of game development and the impact on developers’ well-being. Id Software is part of Xbox’s parent company, which recently announced plans to “reset” its video game division by eliminating 3,200 roles. Willis himself was among those affected, as were many other team members who had worked on previous Doom titles. The irony is not lost: the very people who poured their hearts and souls into creating a top-notch VR experience were then laid off just days before the DLC’s release.
The revelation also highlights the challenges faced by game developers in today’s fast-paced industry. With increasingly tight deadlines, developers are often forced to work long hours, sacrificing their personal lives and relationships. The pressure to meet expectations can be overwhelming, and it’s little wonder that many in the industry are speaking out about the need for better working conditions.
The release of Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations may have been met with a collective shrug from VR enthusiasts, but what this story really shows is the human cost behind creating immersive gaming experiences. As we continue to push the boundaries of VR technology, it’s essential that we also prioritize the well-being and dignity of those who bring our favorite games to life.
In the long run, this might just lead to a more sustainable and healthy game development ecosystem – one where creators can focus on crafting amazing VR experiences without sacrificing their own happiness in the process.
Source: Game Developer XR — 2026-09-01