First details revealed about John Romero's new shooter - creator of Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein

In December, it became known that the legendary game designer and one of the authors of such iconic franchises as Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein — John Romero found a new publisher for his game, saving Romero Games studio from closure and the project from complete cancellation.

Recall, in the summer of 2025, after Microsoft announced a massive wave of layoffs, it became known that Romero Games lost funding for an unnamed shooter and was forced to cancel it.

What is known

To continue development, Romero had to revise some elements of the game, but most of the previously done work will find its use in the new shooter concept.

The Insider Gaming portal shared the first information about the initial version of Romero's new shooter. According to the insider, the game was called Hellslayer and its main character was supposed to be a priest who fights demons. As sources of inspiration, the author chose the iconic isometric shooter Hotline Miami. Like in the 2012 game, in Romero's game, the player would have the opportunity to restart the level immediately after the character's death, adding dynamics and drive to the gameplay.

According to journalists, Hellslayer was in development for almost ten years.

Romero himself previously stated that now, in terms of game design, his benchmark is Elden Ring, and the scale of the game had to be reduced, although “unexpected ideas” remain there.

Source: Insider Gaming