Bethesda Softworks responded to allegations made last week by Doom Eternal composer Mick Gordon (open in new tab) that Gordon "misrepresented and misrepresented the situation with one-sided and unfair factual statements."

The issue between Gordon, a renowned composer credited on multiple Bethesda games and numerous other productions, and Doom's studio, Id Software, came to light in 2020 after the release of the Doom Eternal OST. Gordon effectively denied this (opens in new tab), stating that he had not mixed most of the songs and, more surprisingly, predicting that he would not be working with Bethesda again in the future. a month later, Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton posted an "open letter" on Reddit, shifting blame to Gordon and describing him as unreliable and difficult to work with.

Gordon remained silent on the matter until last week, when he issued a long and detailed statement claiming that he had been the target of unfair and dishonest behavior by id, particularly Stratton. Stratton said Gordon "lied about the circumstances surrounding the Doom Eternal Soundtrack" and "used disinformation and innuendo" to blame him for its failure.

According to Gordon, the final straw came shortly after the release of the OST. He and Stratton had agreed on a course of action, and a few days later Stratton posted an open letter. After calling lawyers, suggestions were made and rejected, and finally Gordon went public to repair his reputation because he felt he had no other options left.

"The use of NDAs, settlements, and gag orders to silence the truth is a terrible tactic used by those in positions of power who fear accountability," Gordon wrote. I chose to speak out because I had the option of condoning that tactic."

Bethesda Softworks, id Software's parent company and publisher of Doom Eternal, flatly denied Gordon's claims in a statement released today (opens in new tab).

"Recent postings by Mick Gordon have provided a one-sided and misrepresented account of the id Software team, the development of Doom Eternal, Marty Stratton, and Chad Mossholder, regarding their irrevocable working relationship. We have been unable to provide a full accounting of the details and history of this matter," Bethesda said. We are aware of all the details and history of this matter and clearly support Marty, Chad, and the team at id Software. We refuse to distort the truth and selectively present incomplete 'facts. We have full and complete documented evidence ready for disclosure in the appropriate forum if necessary."

Ironically, Bethesda said Gordon's statement "incited harassment and intimidation" against Stratton, Mossholder, and id Software in general. Gordon made essentially the same claim in a statement last week, writing that "online abuse escalated at an alarming rate" after Stratton posted a pitch on Reddit. Like Gordon, Bethesda urged fans not to attack anyone involved in the dispute "including Marty, Chad, and Mick," but warned that unlike Mick, it would "take swift and appropriate action" to harass employees.

"We are very proud of id and Mick Gordon's collaboration to date and ask fans to refrain from drawing conclusions based on his account," Bethesda said.

Mick Gordon performs the Doom soundtrack live at The Game Awards 2016.

Reactions to Bethesda's statement on Twitter have not been widely supportive. Some replies pointed out that Gordon's statement was deep and detailed and "brought receipts," while others pointed out that Bethesda's response was a much more concise and simplistic denial, and some brought up the case of Bayonetta voice actress Helena Taylor, whose claims against developer Platinum were widely supported before they were debunked Some even brought up the case of Bayonetta voice actress Helena Taylor, whose claims against developer Platinum were widely supported before being debunked. And, of course, there are those (myself included) who wish that the composers we really like and the studios we really like would stop fighting each other.

"Guys, we need to fix things with Mick," JS tweeted (opens in new tab)." He is a talented creator and should definitely be back for the next Doom film. He is the reason that series is so highly regarded."

Unfortunately, that seems highly unlikely. Gordon's pre-Doom Eternal relationship with id Software and Bethesda was very fruitful: he worked on the Wolfenstein reboot games "The New Order," "The Old Blood," "The New Colossus," Youngblood, and Cyberpilot, and composed and produced the OSTs for the 2016 Doom reboot and 2017 Arkane's immersive sim Prey. The soundtrack for "Doom Eternal" is as good as any of those. But as we noted last week, this has clearly caused a rift that is unlikely to heal quickly, and it seems very likely that Gordon's prophecy of never working with Bethesda again will come true.

We have asked Gordon to comment on Bethesda's response and will update if we hear back.