Few names are as synonymous with video games as Doom.
First launched in 1993, the first-person shooter (FPS) remains one of the most influential - and popular - series in the industry.
But even it and its superhuman protagonist, The Doom Slayer, have to contend with the pressures of the games industry in 2025.
Attracting new players, competing with the new titans on the scene and the rising cost of making - and selling - blockbuster titles.
BBC Newsbeat spoke to the project leaders of the latest instalment, Doom: The Dark Ages, about navigating some of these challenges.
'You know exactly what you're getting'
While the Doom series is famous for pitting players against colossal enemies, there are other behemoths it has to face.
"There's so much stuff competing for our attention these days, whether it's games, movies, or whatever," says executive producer Marty Stratton.
Free-to-play (F2P) games, such as Fortnite and Roblox, and annually updated series such as Call of Duty and EA FC regularly dominate most-played charts.
There's evidence to suggest players, particularly younger ones, are spending most of their time on these titles - sometimes referred to as "forever games".
In the latest Online Nation report by UK regulator Ofcom, five of the top ten games among UK players were F2P.
Fortnite recorded about 2.65m active UK users in May 2024, and Roblox 1.22m, according to the report, and global figures are much higher.
Drawing those players to premium titles can be a challenge but Marty argues games such as Doom, which can be completed in under 20 hours, can "fit into those habits".
"It doesn't have to become your obsession for the next two years," he says.
But, as industry expert Rhys Elliot, from Alinea Analytics, tells Newsbeat, it's getting harder to rely solely on your hardcore players.
Overall, he says, the number of people playing premium titles isn't increasing, but the cost of making them is.
"The people who make games - they still need to make revenues each year because, you know, capitalism," he says.
One way of doing this is by attracting new players.
Doom's director Hugo Martin says the response to Doom: The Dark Age's previews were encouraging - something he puts down in part to its new "Medieval sci-fi" setting and altered gameplay style.
"We see it in the comments - a lot of people are saying 'I think this is going to be my first Doom', and that's exciting for us," he says.
The games industry has also leaned into customisation in recent years, giving players the power to finely tweak different elements and aspects of difficulty - something that's been incorporated into The Dark Ages.
"In that regard I think it's going to be a great first-time experience for a lot of fans," says Hugo.
But there's still the small matter of the cost of entry.
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