Last week, Doom Eternal composer Mick Gordon published a massive statement claiming that id Software executive producer Marty Stratton lied about Gordon and misrepresented his work ethic in a statement Stratton had made on Reddit back in May 2020. Gordon shared several accompanying screenshots of dated email chains as evidence that Stratton had distorted the facts, and Gordon further laid out a compelling case that developer id Software had subjected him to periods of intense crunch amid badly managed workflows and unpaid work. Today, however, publisher Bethesda has issued a short response to the claims of Mick Gordon about composing for Doom Eternal: Bethesda sides with id Software and Marty Stratton on everything, and it basically calls Gordon a liar.
“The recent post by Mick Gordon both mischaracterized and misrepresented the team at id Software, the development of Doom Eternal, Marty Stratton, and [Lead Audio Designer] Chad Mossholder with a one-sided and unjust account of an irreparable professional relationship,” stated Bethesda. It claimed to have a full understanding of the matter, and “We reject the distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete ‘facts.’ We stand ready with full and complete documented evidence to disclose in an appropriate venue as needed.”
Bethesda further said that Stratton, Mossholder, and id Software have seen threats and harassment since Gordon made his statement, and Bethesda will not tolerate it. It went on to conclude, “We remain incredibly proud of id’s previous collaborations with Mick Gordon and ask that fans refrain from reaching conclusions based on his account and, more importantly, from attacking any of the individuals mentioned on either side, including Marty, Chad, or Mick.” It is worth noting that Gordon has also emphasized from the beginning that he does not want anyone to suffer harassment as a result of his statements.
— Bethesda (@bethesda) November 16, 2022
Ultimately, this statement from Bethesda can be characterized as quite cold, all but villainizing composer Mick Gordon while rejecting the idea that id Software, Marty Stratton, or Chad Mossholder ever did anything wrong involving Doom Eternal. Granted, we did learn recently from the Hellena Taylor Bayonetta 3 situation that one person’s account of events can be far removed from reality. However, Taylor just released a few video clips; Mick Gordon released an enormous document with language that sometimes suggested it had been reviewed by a lawyer first. It’s curious, to say the least.
If Bethesda genuinely wants to get the public on its side about this Doom Eternal composer fiasco, it will probably have to release some of the “full and complete documented evidence” it claims to have to absolve Stratton and vindicate Gordon.
