What inspired id Software to opt for a heavier version of the Slayer? In a Q&A session attended by True Achievements, creative director Hugo Martin said that Frank Miller’s Batman comics played a big part. He even confirmed that the leaked codename for the title, DOOM Year Zero, was a homage to Batman: Year One.

“My all-time favorite comic, which, big surprise, I think it’s a favorite comic of many people, is Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight. He showed a depiction of Batman that was huge. He was amazing. He was powerful. He looked like a tank[…] Everything about his arsenal is powerful. He just looked awesome, and it was like, ‘I’d love to make a slayer like that,’ like a heavier, powerful Slayer,” said Martin.

He also felt that id Software hit the mobility limit in DOOM Eternal. “There was no more speed and acrobatics to pull out of Doom Eternal. I mean, Doom Eternal and its DLCs, we’re proud of that game. It stands on its own, as does Doom (2016), but this felt like a variation on the Doom Slayer power fantasy that was worth exploring and would feel good to the players.

“He’s not easy. We’re constantly refining how heavy he feels. I mean, when he walks, you can hear it. Everything he does is big and powerful, and it feels awesome.”

DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC while launching on day one for Game Pass. It’s also rumored to be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. Pre-orders for the title will receive two days of early access, while Premium Edition owners get the Divinity Skin Pack and campaign DLC.

Interestingly, DOOM: The Dark Ages had the placeholder title DOOM Year Zero, which leaked in a document during Microsoft’s trial with the US Federal Trade Commission last year. It’s reportedly had a four-year development cycle. Based on the title and even the placeholder name, it may likely be a prequel, perhaps chronicling the Doomslayer’s origins.

DOOM: The Dark Ages joins Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Gear 6, Perfect Dark and State of Decay 3 as rumored to appear during the showcase on June 9th. At the very least, Xbox has confirmed that Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will appear in the dedicated Direct afterwards. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

As many have guessed in the hours that have passed since Microsoft unveiled these plans, however, it seems like the company may have more than the four unnamed titles planned for multiplatform releases. That’s as per The Verge, with a report on the outlet claiming that Microsoft has also been “weighing up” multiplatform releases for Gears of War, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and the next DOOM game (rumoured to be titled DOOM Year Zero), and that a final decision regarding those games has yet to be made- which means there’s a chance that they do eventually end up on PlayStation or Switch in the future.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, Gears of War was one of several major Xbox games rumoured to be part of the company’s multiplatform plans, while similar claims were also made for Indiana Jones– though the latter, at least, has been dispelled by Microsoft (at least for the time being).

It’s also unknown what the four games that will be going multiplatform are going to be, though reports have claimed they are Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves.

It was spotted by Resetera user Madjoki, and references Project Hibiki (likely Hi-Fi Rush), Starfield and Redfall for release in fiscal year 2021, while MachineGames’ Indiana Jones was slated for FY22. Since the document is from 2020 and at least two titles faced delays while Indiana Jones wasn’t released by March 31st, 2023, the other release windows are likely outdated. Case in point is The Elder Scrolls 6 for the fiscal year 2024, while Spencer recently felt it was still more than five years away.

However, the other titles are interesting, like remasters of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (which aligns with recent leaks) and Fallout 3, DOOM Year Zero (with DLC) and Dishonored 3. A sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo and two projects with codenames, Project Kestrel and Project Platinum, along with a licensed IP game, were also noted. None of these projects are officially confirmed.

Whether Microsoft will address this leak remains to be seen, so stay tuned.