id Software Confirms New Game in the Works, Hugo Martin Directing Again
id Software is making a new game. The Doom studio confirmed it itself, in a short post on X, and the news is good for PC players for one simple reason: the studio behind the modern Doom games is not done yet. Hugo Martin is directing again, and the team is already deep into its next project.
That is the whole announcement. No title, no genre, no platforms, no release date. id Software said it will be some time before it is ready to share more. But after a brutal year for the studio, the confirmation alone matters. The team that rebuilt Doom for a new generation is still building.
What id Software Actually Said
The confirmation came as a reply on X to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Sharma was posting to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Xbox console, and she praised id Software as one of the studios that shaped the first-person shooter genre. She also noted that Slaughter Mode arrives in Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations on Monday, and that the team is already working on its next game.
id Software replied with the confirmation. In its own words: “We’re incredibly excited about our next project, a new game from our teams in Texas and Frankfurt, with game direction once again by Hugo Martin. It’ll be some time before we’re ready to share more but we can’t wait for you to see what we’re working on.”
Two details in that short statement are worth noting. First, the game is being built by id’s teams in Texas and Frankfurt, so this is a full studio effort, not a small side project. Second, Hugo Martin is directing again. Martin directed Doom (2016), Doom Eternal, and Doom: The Dark Ages, so the next game has the same creative lead as the entire modern Doom run.
How the News Broke
The announcement arrived casually, not as a trailer or a press release. Sharma’s post was part of a series celebrating 25 years of Xbox, and id Software’s reply turned a routine anniversary message into a real confirmation. That is in keeping with how this studio communicates: short, direct, and light on detail.
PC Gamer reported the exchange and noted the parallel with Bethesda’s handling of The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda recently gave that game its official subtitle, Sentinel, eight years after first announcing it, using the exact same phrase: “It’ll be some time before we’re ready to share more.” id Software and Bethesda Softworks are both part of ZeniMax Media, which Xbox owns, so the shared wording is probably not a coincidence.
For a sense of how long “some time” can mean in this family of studios, look at The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel. It was announced in 2018 and only received its subtitle this month. Nobody should expect id Software to show its new game soon.
What We Know About the New Game
Honestly, very little. Here is the full list of confirmed facts:
- id Software is working on a new game, confirmed by the studio itself on November 12, 2026.
- Hugo Martin is the game director, the same role he held on Doom (2016), Doom Eternal, and Doom: The Dark Ages.
- The game is being built by id’s teams in Texas and Frankfurt.
- No title, genre, platform, or release date has been announced.
- The studio says it will be some time before it shares more.
Everything else is speculation, and it should be labeled as such. id Software did not say this is a Doom game. It did not say it is a new IP. It did not say it is Quake. The studio said “a new game,” and that is all we can report as fact.
What It Could Be
The most likely guess is another Doom game. Doom: The Dark Ages was a prequel to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, and it left plenty of room for a follow-up. The Dark Ages trilogy of modern Doom games has been one of the most consistent runs in the genre, and Hugo Martin directing again points to a project in the same creative line.
But there are other real possibilities. id Software created Quake, and fans have asked for a proper single-player Quake revival for years. A brand-new IP is also possible, though less likely for a studio whose identity is so tied to Doom. And a smaller-scale project, or a game built to show off new id Tech engine work, cannot be ruled out.
The honest answer is that we do not know, and guessing harder will not make a guess true. What we do know is that the studio’s next game has its most experienced director at the helm, and that is reason enough for PC players to pay attention.
The Tough Year Behind id Software
This confirmation lands after a hard year for the studio. The Xbox layoffs in July hit id Software hard, with reports of more than 130 employees lost. That raised real questions about whether the studio could continue as a standalone developer.
Studio co-director Marty Stratton addressed that concern in October. He said there was a deliberate effort during the layoffs to make sure the studio stayed viable across everything it does. He also said id Software is now working more closely with MachineGames than ever, which led to speculation that the two studios may be collaborating on something together.
That speculation got interesting this week for a separate reason: Wolfenstein 3 is now confirmed in production at MachineGames. Whether id Software is involved in that game is not confirmed, and the two announcements should not be merged into one story. But the timing shows that Xbox’s shooter studios are active again after a painful summer.
Slaughter Mode Arrives First
Before the new game, PC players have something concrete to play. Slaughter Mode, a horde mode for Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations, goes live on November 16, 2026. It features escalating rounds of random encounters, bosses, and arenas, in the style of Doom Eternal’s Horde mode.
Revelations itself is the campaign expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages, released on July 7, 2026. The base game launched on May 15, 2025 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, as a prequel to Doom (2016). Slaughter Mode is a free update, and it gives the expansion a replayable endgame mode while id Software works on whatever comes next.
What PC Players Should Watch Next
Do not expect a reveal soon. id Software used the same careful language Bethesda used for The Elder Scrolls 6, and that game took eight years to get a subtitle. The studio will show its new game when it is ready, and not before.
Here is what is worth watching instead:
- Xbox showcases and Developer Direct events, where id Software has revealed its games in the past.
- Whether the new game is announced for PC on day one. Doom: The Dark Ages launched on PC alongside consoles, and there is no reason to expect a change.
- Any hiring or engine news from id Software, which often hints at a project’s scale before the game itself is shown.
- The reception of Slaughter Mode, which will show how much life is left in The Dark Ages while the next game is in development.
For now, the news is simple and solid: id Software is making a new game, Hugo Martin is directing it, and the studio is excited about it. After the year this team has had, that is worth something on its own. Keep an eye on our upcoming PC games list for the latest confirmed dates as more details emerge.
Source: PC Gamer
