Mick Gordon Says He Would Return to Doom In a Heartbeat Under the Right Conditions

Mick Gordon is not ruling out a return to the franchise that defined his modern career. Speaking to IGN during PAX Australia, the Australian composer behind the soundtracks for Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020) stated that he would rejoin the series if the right circumstances aligned, despite his bitter fallout with id Software management.

When asked whether he would consider writing music for Doom again, Gordon explained that significant organizational hurdles remain. "There are a lot of dominoes that would have to fall in a very specific way for that to occur," Gordon told IGN. "If those dominoes ever fell in that way, I would. Of course. Within a heartbeat."

The 2022 Soundtrack Dispute

The remark marks Gordon's first public statement indicating interest in returning to the franchise since his working relationship with id Software collapsed. Friction surfaced publicly following the March 2020 release of Doom Eternal, when executive producer Marty Stratton published an open letter on Reddit blaming Gordon for soundtrack production delays and mixing issues.

Gordon responded two years later in a November 2022 Medium post, alleging that id Software withheld pay for half of his work on Doom Eternal, mismanaged schedules, and subjected him to abusive workplace conduct from Stratton. Neither id Software nor parent company Microsoft has publicly resolved those historical claims, leaving it unclear whether executive leadership would ever initiate reconciliation.

Unfinished Musical Concepts

Despite the administrative conflict, Gordon confirmed his creative appetite for the franchise remains intact. He noted during the PAX Australia interview that he walked away from the series with concepts still on the table. "I had a whole list of ideas where I wanted to go with Doom... And I'd love to explore that one day, for sure," Gordon said.

The studio itself has seen shifts since the dispute. In July 2026, id Software lost approximately 136 staff members during wider layoffs across Microsoft's Xbox division. It remains unknown whether any private talks have occurred between Gordon and Microsoft or id Software leadership, or what exact prerequisites Gordon's "dominoes" refer to.

Upcoming Projects and Rejection of Generative AI

Gordon continues to work actively outside the Doom series. He composed the final boss theme for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, scheduled for release on October 14, 2026. He is currently writing the soundtrack for Defect, an upcoming cyberpunk shooter, and is booked to headline the RADAR festival in the United Kingdom in 2027, where he will perform music from Doom and Doom Eternal live with a full backing band.

During the same interview, Gordon also took aim at generative audio tools in game development, rejecting the technology with the phrase "F##k AI."

Gordon argued that technology cannot replace human expression in songwriting and performance. "Humans are always going to want to interact with other humans. Always," Gordon said. "And I feel this AI stuff is just giving people more reason to abandon this digital infection that we have with our lives now. I feel that humans are always going to chase that human connection."

Rebuilding Bridges at id Software

Gordon's industrial metal scoring played a central role in re-establishing Doom with the 2016 reboot. While his comments show that his artistic interest outlasted the contractual fallout, any future collaboration depends on id Software and Xbox management choosing to reopen dialogue.