FPS godfather John Romero, celebrated for his work on the Doom and Wolfenstein series, has confirmed the development of a new first-person shooter.

 

 

The contribution of John Romero, one of the godfathers of FPS gaming, to influential series like Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake – and video games in general – cannot be underestimated. However, after the turn of the millennium, his work has not received nearly as much acclaim as the titles he put his stamp on in the 90s. That could be about to change, however, as Romero Games, the Galway-based studio founded by John and his wife Brenda in 2015, is currently looking to fill several positions related to the studio’s non-public FPS game in development.

Romero’s recent tweet on the subject was less of an announcement and more of a casting call.

It only reveals that Romero Games is “working on a new FPS” and invites interested applicants to visit their website. Although the Romero Games website confirms that the new project will use Unreal Engine 5, little else is said about the game in development. There is currently a lot of Unreal Engine 5 projects in the pipeline, and given the engine’s capabilities, it’s impossible to guess exactly what Romero and his team might use it for.

It may be that John Romero is hoping to assemble a larger team for the upcoming Doom 2 add-on, SIGIL 2, but that seems unlikely. The original SIGIL debuted as a so-called megawad of the original Doom, and many old-school FPS players have praised its retro-centric design philosophy. That said, SIGIL was primarily a solo effort, and it doesn’t seem like Romero would need a development team skilled in Unreal Engine 5 to put together a sequel.

It’s more likely that the new title will be a fresh entry in the boomer shooter revival currently underway in the indie scene.

Games such as DUSK, Amid Evil and Ion Fury, have revived interest in mid-90s FPS games, and given the development background, Romero Games is likely to be looking to ride a new wave of retro craze. It’s worth noting that John Romero teamed up with ex-Id Software collaborator Adrian Carmack to make a crowdfunded title called Blackroom, but nothing came of it.

Fans will probably remember John Romero’s last huge “hit” 2000’s Daikatana, which was such a flop that it is still considered a parody more than two decades later. But judging by his work on SIGIL and his recent commemorations of the 30th anniversary of Wolfenstein 3D, Romero seems to be focusing on his best-received work.

Source: Twitter

Exciting news! I'm working on a new FPS, and we're hiring. Visit https://t.co/PIhw3iPgLG and check out our careers page. #gamedev #gamedevjobs pic.twitter.com/D0fcN3X8Fk

— 𝕵𝖔𝖍𝖓 𝕽𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖔 (@romero) July 19, 2022