Bethesda responds with official statement amidst Mick Gordon's allegations and DOOM Eternal controversy

Bethesda recently came out with an official statement regarding DOOM Eternal's music and Mick Gordon's statement in which he narrated his version of the events surrounding the production of the tracks. Calling it "a one-sided and unjust account of an irreparable professional relationship," the publisher defended its employees against Gordon's allegations and stated that they were ready "with full and complete documented evidence."

Although DOOM Eternal elicited acclaim from fans and critics alike, the game's OST failed to deliver a similar experience. It was soon clear that the composer, Mick Gordon was unhappy over many of the soundtracks involved, resulting in a 2020 Reddit post from Marty Stratton, the then Executive Producer of the game.

Bethesda's response comes on the heels of a lengthy statement made by Mick Gordon addressing what he claims are lies and misinformation raised in Stratton's earlier statement on Doom's subreddit.

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Following Mick Gordon's lengthy address regarding DOOM Eternal's music, Bethesda's official statement rebuts any such allegation

Shared through their official Twitter channel, the American video game publisher claimed:

"The recent post by Mick Gordon both mischaracterized and misrepresented the team at id Software, the development of DOOM Eternal, Marty Stratton, and Chad Mossholder with a one-sided and unjust account of an irreparable relationship."

The statement mentioned that the publishers were well aware of the history regarding the matter and that they "unequivocally support Marty, Chad, and the team at id Software" while rejecting what they perceive as "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 noted that Gordon's allegations led to harassment directed towards Marty, Chad, and the id Software team, and they promised to respond to any such threats "with swift and appropriate action." They concluded the statement by acknowledging the success of id's previous collaborations with Gordon and asked fans to avoid drawing a hasty conclusion or attacking either side.

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Mick Gordon's recent account on the matter

What prompted Bethesda's strongly-worded response was a long statement posted on Medium by Mick Gordon. In it, the composer stated that he was coming out with an account in order to defend himself against the lies being purported by the aforementioned Reddit post and was not looking to make an unprovoked attack.

According to Mick, Marty Stratton's Reddit post titled "DOOM Eternal OST Open Letter" did not convey the facts truthfully:

"Marty lied about the circumstances surrounding the DOOM Eternal Soundtrack and used disinformation and innuendo to blame me entirely for its failure."

Accompanied by various images, conversation snippets, and more, the Medium post alleges that the working conditions surrounding the DOOM Eternal soundtrack were nightmarish, filled with threats, months of not being paid, and mismanagement regarding the OST.

Gordon's account claimed that more than half of DOOM Eternal's music remains unpaid for. He also stated that he received the contract for the OST 48 hours before the game's release with an April 16 deadline and mentioned that the Reddit post was "full of lies, disinformation and innuendo."

The Reddit post from Marty Stratton was put out in 2020 after Gordon responded to fans who were displeased with several tracks from the game's OST. Gordon mentioned on social media that he did not mix those particular tracks. Gordon's remarks turned fans' ire towards Chad Mossholder, the other person credited on the tracks. In the open letter on Reddit, Stratton claimed that he intended to set the account straight.

Comments from fans on Bethesda's tweet indicate that they are siding with Gordon's version of the events. They were quick to point out that Gordon repeatedly cautioned readers not to attack the people who worked on the game and that it was Bethesda's "high-ranking studio head" who posted accusations and incited harassment without consequence first.

Given the sensitivity of the matter, it is always prudent to not jump to hasty conclusions. As noted by Gordon, any acts of harassment and threats only make the situation worse. It remains to be seen how the matter will pan out.