Doom Eternal composer responds to id Software exec's "hurtful lie", two years later
Mick Gordon hits back at Marty Stratton
Composer Mick Gordon has published a rebuttal to an open letter by id Software executive producer Marty Stratton concerning Doom Eternal's soundtrack. Stratton's post was written all the way back in May 2020, and Gordon's response is a doozy. “Marty lied about the circumstances surrounding the DOOM Eternal Soundtrack and used disinformation and innuendo to blame me entirely for its failure,” Gordon said in the post on Medium. Gordon claims that Stratton later offered a six-figure amount if he never spoke about the matter, but Gordon insists he turned the money down.
Gordon alleges that he’s yet to be paid for more than half of Doom Eternal’s music. “I created this music as part of the development process and shared it with id Software in good faith,” the composer said. “But id Software used the music in the game, marketing and soundtrack and still refuses to pay me for it.” Gordon alleges that Stratton and id Software’s Lead Audio Designer, Chad Mossholder, didn’t allow him to listen to the final album and didn’t ask for his approval, although he points out they weren't contractually obliged to do.
“Marty’s Reddit post severely impacted both my professional and personal reputation,” Gordon continued. “In releasing this statement, I’m exercising my right to defend myself. It is a defence, not an unprovoked attack, issued with extreme reluctance only after all other attempts to resolve the matter have failed.” Gordon claims that he’s tried “time and time again” to amicably resolve the issues with id Software since Stratton’s letter was published, but that Stratton “constantly refused”. The composer said his statement shouldn’t be taken as an “excuse for a hate campaign”. It’s a long post, as Gordon acknowledges, so best to make a hot drink before reading it in full.
Stratton’s 2020 open letter addressing Doom Eternal’s soundtrack blamed scheduling problems for some quality discrepancies in the tracks reported at the time. I’ve reached out to id Software for their comment on Mick Gordon’s statement, and will let you know if I hear back.
CORRECTION (November 10th, 2022): This article previously stated that Stratton and Mossholder were contractually obliged to ask for Gordon's approval for the album.
