Doom Eternal Head Marty Stratton Weighs In On OST Controversy

Doom Eternal executive producer Marty Stratton has issued a statement in response to a recent controversy surrounding the game's original soundtrack (OST) release after composter Mick Gordon distanced himself from the project, prompting a backlash in part against Id Software. In a lengthy open letter posted to Reddit and confirmed by GameSpot, Stratton expresses respect for Gordon's work but explains the background of the OST release.

According to Stratton, Gordon had asked for extensions to deadlines, including the one that pushed the OST past the game's March release date. As a backup, Stratton requested the help of Chad Mossholder, Id Software's lead audio engineer, to develop the OST tracks in case Gordon could not deliver the full list of tracks. Stratton told Gordon of this backup, and according to Stratton, it was Gordon who suggested he work with Mossholder to compile their work into one OST. That ultimately led to the OST as we know it, with roughly a dozen songs from Gordon and the rest filled in by Mossholder.

Stratton also explained why the non-Gordon tracks are of lower quality. He said that mixing together an OST usually involves working from the source material, which Id Software does not have access to, so Mossholder was forced to mix game tracks. Stratton said part of what prompted him to make a statement was to defend Mossholder against personal attacks that stemmed from the lower-quality mixes. In the end, Gordon is listed as a composer and artist, while Mossholder is listed as a "contributing artist" on his tracks. Stratton says, "It would have been misleading for us to attribute tracks solely to Mick that someone else had edited."

"[Gordon] communicated that he wasn’t particularly happy with some of the edits in the id tracks," Stratton said. "I understand this from an artist's perspective and realize this opinion is what prompted him to distance from the work in the first place. That said, from our perspective, we didn't want to be involved in the content of the OST and did absolutely nothing to prevent him from delivering on his commitments within the timeframe he asked for, and we extended multiple times."

Stratton ends by saying he's disappointed but wishes Gordon the best.

"As for the immediate future, we are at the point of moving on and won't be working with Mick on the DLC we currently have in production," he said. "As I've mentioned, his music is incredible, he is a rare talent, and I hope he wins many awards for his contribution to Doom Eternal at the end of the year."

Gordon had previously said he doubts he will work with Id Software again. Stratton stated this comment came as a surprise, but it did "highlight a complicated relationship." With Stratton's statement, it appears the two are parting ways for the DLC, at least.