"Doom Eternal's" long-absent Invasion mode has been canceled, leaving Id Software to turn its attention to an all-new PvE horde mode.

One of the most anticipated features prior to "Doom Eternal's" launch, Invasion was supposed to jump into other players' games "Dark Souls" style, taking on the appearance of a hell demon and providing a more formidable challenge. However, after news broke that it would later be offered as a free update, though not at launch, the developer announced today that development of this competitive feature has been discontinued.

Earlier today on Twitter, Id said that it plans to pivot from invasion to an all-new single-player horde mode.

"As many of you know, we had intended to release a free Invasion mode update for the game, but the unexpected consequences of Pandemic and Remote Work affected our development progress for this addition. However, the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic and remote work affected our development progress for this addition. During this time, we have also seen and heard that many of you have enjoyed the extensive gameplay and combat available in the expanded content and master levels. In light of these factors, we have decided to shift our focus from Invasion Mode to creating an all-new single-player Horde Mode."

In addition to a brand new mode, Id also plans a major revamp of the game's 2vs1 asymmetrical Battlemode The game's 2vs1 asymmetric Battlemode is also being planned. The Demon vs. Slayer deathmatch already incorporates many of the ideas that would have been in Invasions, and Id plans to enhance it with new maps, balance changes, new matchups, and a rank-based structure.

It would have been interesting to see a Souls-style Invasion system rolled out in the hellish arena of Doom. Hopefully, this new survival challenge will more than make up for its absence.