DOOM: The Dark Ages will have an open ending to make sure we can have more medieval adventures

Id Software’s DOOM: The Dark Ages is an awesome-looking prequel that will give players a brand-new take on the granddaddy of FPS games. With the game being set before DOOM 2016, some fans have claimed the game will end with the iconic Doom Slayer being locked in the casket he awakens from in the reboot, but that’s not the case.

As it turns out, DOOM: The Dark Ages’ ending will leave the door open for Id to continue playing in the game’s medieval sandbox if they want. With DLC expansions planned as well as a possible sequel, we could get more games in the series focusing on this particular theme.

DOOM: The Dark Ages won’t end in the casket

In an interview with PC Gamer, Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin revealed that the ending of the new DOOM game definitely won’t end with the Slayer being locked away. As explained in the 2016 reboot-sequel, the Slayer was locked up after he ripped and tore through Hell after the death of his son, but that will not happen in the events of the new game.

“I mean, that would end the Dark Ages, the medieval chapter of the Doom saga. This is kind of like the Chronicles of the Slayer,” Martin explained. “So if we took it all the way to that point, then that would mean that we couldn’t tell any more medieval stories. And I’m not announcing projects or anything other than to just say it’s better to leave it open.”

It seems that Id’s expansion plans for The Dark Ages will follow a similar structure to that of Eternal with new story content for players to experience. While the nature of the story is unconfirmed, that DLC also won’t end with the Slayer’s incarceration.

“We do have a DLC and things like that, so it won’t⁠—I’m not giving away spoilers⁠—but it doesn’t end with him [in the coffin],” the game director continued. “The story is that they collapsed a building on top of him and then put him inside of that sarcophagus that we find him in at the beginning of 2016. And this game doesn’t end that way.”

DOOM: The Dark Ages releases on May 13, 2025 on Xbox Series, PS5 and PC. The game will also launch on Xbox Game Pass and be available via Cloud Gaming.