Next-generation iPhone game Doom Resurrection debuting next week
One of the true next-generation games on the iPhone debuts next week. Doom Resurrection from id Software will be available in the AppStore to give gamers what they've been waiting for: much better 3-D graphics than most first-generation iPhone games.
Context & Ripple Effects
The road to Doom Resurrection runs through two years of id Software's own history: the company formed id Mobile in November 2007 specifically to carry its franchises onto phones, at a time when reviewers were still asking where the iPhone games actually were. By December 2008 the story had flipped, with coverage noting that iPhone gaming was maturing as major publishers joined the App Store.
Doom Resurrection is that arc's proof point — an id title built to show off 3-D graphics well beyond most first-generation releases, arriving just as Business Week framed Apple as a mobile gaming force. The question it answers is whether a premium studio can charge premium prices on a store built around $0.99 apps.
First-order effects
- iPhone gamers get one of the first titles with console-class 3-D visuals on the platform, and id Software opens a new revenue line for its back-catalog IP through the App Store rather than retail carriers.
Second-order effects
- A recognizable franchise launching at next-generation quality pressures other major publishers to follow suit, while first-generation iPhone developers face a raised graphics bar they must match on the same hardware.
Third-order effects
- If premium studios keep shipping flagship-quality titles, the iPhone consolidates its position against dedicated handheld consoles — shifting the battleground from app quantity to rendering capability and franchise strength.
The trend: Established game studios are porting marquee franchises to the App Store as premium 3-D showcases, pulling the iPhone upmarket from casual novelty toward credible gaming hardware.