Will it ever happen?
Older gamers will recall legendary developer John Romero’s immortal words when he was promoting his new game (new for 2000, at least) Daikatana. Sadly (or perhaps not), no one was made to feel like the Doom co-creators “bitch,” and his first release after leaving id Software proved to be a flop.
Was it the worst game launch in history? It’s probably up there, but it’s largely been clouded by much more contemporary titles like No Man’s Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
John Romero AMA — featuring DOOM GUY: Life in First Person
byu/Theromero inpcgaming
However, according to a recent Reddit AMA, Romero would quite happily see Daikatana make a return at some point. In response to a question about the aged FPS, he said he would “support a remake.” Replying to a similar question further down, Romero adds that, if it were to be remade, Daikatana “could be an exciting game, [more so] than the original.”
A Daikatana remake is just a pipe dream, so far
This doesn’t mean a remake or reboot is on the horizon, as far as we know. Plus, Romero did specify that he wouldn’t be involved in such a project, though he would possibly be onboard as a consultant of some kind. We already know that he’s working on a new FPS with a major publisher, which he restates in the Reddit thread. Pretty much nothing is known about this project, and the man himself even says he can’t say anything about it.
John Romero is something of an icon in the video game industry. While he’s been making games since the early 80s, it was 1993’s Doom that helped set the scene for the early days of the first-person shooter. These days, he is still active in the gaming world, even making some new maps for Doom. As such, it’ll be interesting to see what he’s currently working on, and whether Daikatana will ever get a second chance.
