10 Rare Video Games That Survived Development Hell
7. DOOM (2016) - 9 Years
When id Software co-founder, John Carmack, announced Doom 4 was in the works at 2007's Quakecon, excitement was through the roof. Since the creators were also developing Rage, fans expected the latest Doom instalment wouldn't be out any time soon.
But the wait wasn't just long - it was hellish (literally and figuratively). Five years in, the team turned this sequel into a reboot, rendering most of their early efforts pointless.
The creative director, Kevin Cloud, switched things up, by making the game more cinematic, and akin to Call of Duty. The company's director, Tim Willits believed this version lacked "the spirit, it did not have the soul, it didn't have a personality." Coupled with Carmack's departure from id Software around the same time, it looked like the Cacodemon-blasting IP was suitably doomed.
Rather than giving up, Willit's team got back to work, rebranding the shooter as DOOM. By 2014, the project was finally coming together. DOOM went old school, focusing on minimal plot, nonlinear exploration, an avalanche of guns, piss-your-pants monsters, and a relentless combat.