DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations Launches as id Software Layoffs Hit

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations launched July 7 with six new levels, a grappling Chain Spear and roughly 12 hours of new campaign. Microsoft’s Xbox restructuring cut close to half of id Software’s staff the day before it shipped.

Reviewers are calling the new weapon some of the best combat id Software has built in years. A day-one bug is locking some returning players out of using it, and the studio that made Revelations now has fewer hands than it did a week earlier.

Six New Levels and a Weapon Built to Replace the Shield

Bethesda and id Software first showed Revelations in June at the Xbox Games Showcase. It arrived on schedule July 7, the studio’s first major campaign expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages since the base game’s release in May 2025.

The add-on runs on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, Battle.net and PlayStation 5, with Xbox Play Anywhere letting owners move between console and PC at no extra cost. id Software estimates the new campaign lasts 10 to 12 hours, split roughly 60 percent story and 40 percent endgame. The base campaign alone took players an average of 14 hours to finish, according to How Long to Beat data cited by ComicBook.com, so Revelations nearly matches the length of the whole original game.

Owners without the Premium Edition can buy the expansion on its own or upgrade to the Premium Edition for the bundle price. Six new levels connect through Purgatory, a Metroidvania-style hub where new abilities reopen paths that were blocked earlier in the run. Bethesda describes the Slayer as battered and wounded, thrown into a frozen version of Hell, forced to confront a demon from his own past to reclaim his freedom.

Every Dark Ages owner, not just Revelations buyers, also gets Ripatorium 3.0 free: deeper customization, faster passcode sharing and the ability to save personal arena presets. Finishing Revelations’ endgame unlocks three more Ripatorium maps, new demons and fully upgraded weapons for owners of the DLC specifically.

The Chain Spear Rewires Slayer Combat

The centerpiece is the Chain Spear, a weapon that swaps in for the shield the Slayer carried through the entire base game. It throws like a harpoon, pins enemies at range, and reels the Slayer back in at speed for close combat.

It builds on the Meat Hook attachment from DOOM Eternal’s Super Shotgun, but with finer movement control and the freedom to pair it with any weapon in the Slayer’s other hand. The spear can also orbit enemies while unloading gunfire in midair, tethered by the length of the chain like a small, furious moon.

a monster truck with a jet engine strapped to your back

Hugo Martin, id Software’s creative director, used that description for the Chain Spear’s design intent, in comments reported by TechTimes.

Base game owners spent DOOM: The Dark Ages parrying fireballs with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, a defensive, stand-and-fight tool. Revelations asks them to trade some of that defense for speed. FullCleared’s review called it “the Swiss Army Spear of Death,” praising it as one of the best all-purpose weapons the reviewer had used in any game.

Layoffs Landed a Day Before Launch

Microsoft began a sweeping restructuring across its Xbox division on July 6, the day before Revelations shipped. FullCleared reported the cuts eliminated 3,200 roles across Xbox, and hit id Software especially hard.

Reports and WARN filings cited by FullCleared indicate roughly half of id Software’s staff, about 136 people, lost their jobs. A separate review on Playday.one independently reported that “Xbox seemingly laid off half of id Software” the day before the expansion arrived.

“It was with a heavy heart that I started this expansion,” the Playday.one reviewer wrote, adding that the Dark Ages trilogy has been among their favorite shooters ever made.

The move traces back to a broader Xbox reset. mp1st reported the restructuring was set in motion by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who had announced the overhaul weeks earlier. id Software shipped Revelations anyway, on schedule, with the smaller team it had left.

Why Is the Chain Spear Locked for Returning Players?

A day-one bug leaves the Chain Spear’s Meat Hook throw without a bound button on console, showing a bare “??” prompt during the tutorial instead of a real control. It mainly affects players who already had base-game save data before Revelations arrived, and it can halt progress until the fix is applied.

MP1st and other outlets confirmed the bug hits returning Dark Ages players specifically, not those installing the game fresh alongside the DLC. Some PlayStation 5 owners also reported the game reverting to the menu screen when confirming the Revelations purchase splash, and had to buy the add-on directly from the console’s storefront tab instead.

• Open the pause menu, go to Settings, then Inputs.
• Select Reset to Default. Bethesda’s patch notes list the shortcut as the V key on PC or an L3 stick click on Xbox and PlayStation controllers.
• Confirm the reset when prompted. This reassigns the Chain Spear Throw to its intended button without a new patch or reinstall.

The workaround clears the block, though it means new DLC owners have to fix a control setting before playing content they already paid for.

The Dark Ages Sold Fewer Copies Than It Played

The layoffs land against an uneven financial backdrop for the franchise. Bethesda said the base game reached its headline player milestone seven times faster than DOOM Eternal did. Analytics firm Alinea Analytics said actual purchases came in well below that figure, with sales split between PlayStation, Xbox and Steam.

• 3 million players Bethesda counted within days of the 2025 launch.
• 800,000 copies Alinea Analytics estimates were actually purchased.
• 31,470 peak concurrent Steam players for The Dark Ages, against Eternal’s 104,891.
• 85 Metacritic score on PC, with OpenCritic recording a 95 percent critic recommend rate.

Critics were split on what the base game did with that audience. PC Gamer called it “dumbed down” compared with DOOM Eternal, in a review cited by TechTimes, while TheGamer’s Jade King called it “the weakest entry in a fantastic trilogy.” Pure Xbox took a different view of the follow-up, writing that Revelations “leans into all the best bits” of the base game.

Bethesda Is Betting id Software’s Future on DOOM

Bethesda’s public messaging since the cuts has narrowed almost entirely to DOOM. mp1st reported the publisher is said to be facing a major overhaul, with attention focused on key franchises such as DOOM going forward.

The restructuring traces back to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who had announced a broader Xbox reset weeks before the cuts reached id Software, according to mp1st.

id Software shipped one of its most ambitious expansions with a smaller team than it had a week earlier. What that means for the next DOOM game has not been addressed publicly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations take to finish?

id Software estimates 10 to 12 hours split across a 60 percent story campaign and 40 percent endgame content. One reviewer at FullCleared needed about 13 hours total, roughly 8 hours for the campaign and 5 more clearing the endgame’s Master Arenas.

Do I need Xbox Game Pass to play Revelations?

No. The base game is available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass, but Revelations itself is a separate $19.99 purchase unless you already own the Premium Edition or Collector’s Bundle, which unlock it automatically at no extra cost.

Has id Software fixed the Chain Spear button bug?

As of July 8, 2026, no permanent patch had shipped for the missing button prompt. The workaround, resetting the Slayer Controller Preset in the Settings menu, fixes it on the player’s end, and the bug only affects players who had already logged time in the base game before the DLC arrived.

What new enemies appear in Revelations?

The DLC adds the spellcasting Warlock, mechanical jousting demons called Buzzsaws, and a rebalanced Archvile that now summons fresh demon waves instead of resurrecting fallen enemies, alongside the returning Cosmic Elemental.

Will there be another DOOM: The Dark Ages expansion after Revelations?

Nothing has been announced. id Software’s Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin have said Revelations does not end on a cliffhanger, and Bethesda’s post-layoff messaging has centered on DOOM as a priority franchise without confirming a next chapter.