Bethesda Claims Mick Gordon’s Open Letter Was "One-Sided" And "Unjust"

Earlier this month, Doom Eternal composer Mick Gordon released a lengthy open letter describing his experiences working with developer id Software on the game's soundtrack. Gordon claimed that he was forced to work through "severe" crunch periods, was made to wait over 11 months for payment, and directly called out studio director Marty Stratton who he blames for poor management within id Software.

Bethesda has now responded to Gordon's claims with a statement posted to its official Twitter account, calling Gordon's open letter a "one-sided and unjust account" of the professional relationship between itself, id Software, and Gordon. Bethesda also states that Gordon's accusations "mischaracterized and misrepresented" all parties involved, and allegedly has "full and complete documented evidence" against Gordon's claims.

"The recent post by Mick Gordon both mischaracterized and misrepresented the team at id Software, the development of Doom Eternal, Marty Stratton, and Chad Mossholder with a one-sided and unjust account of an irreparable professional relationship," reads Bethesda's statement.

"We are aware of all the details and history in this matter and unequivocally support Marty, Chad, and the team at id Software. We reject the distortion of the truth and selective presentation of incomplete "facts." We stand ready with full and complete documented evidence to disclose in an appropriate venue as needed."

Bethesda also states that since the reveal of Mick Gordon's open letter earlier this month, the entire team at id Software – including Stratton and Mossholder – has experienced increased threats of violence and harassment, which it has said will be met with "swift and appropriate action" to protect employees.

Bethesda's statement and claim that it has "documented evidence" suggests that the company may eventually pursue legal action if Gordon stands his ground, although at the time of writing he has yet to respond to this statement on Twitter. It is worth noting though that Gordon did defend id Software after he published his open letter, telling upset fans to "spare a thought" for the team's work on Doom Eternal, and that his main point of contention was with Stratton personally.

Now that Bethesda has hit back at Gordon's claims, it's difficult not to draw parallels between this situation and the situation that involved Platinum Games and former Bayonetta voice actor Helena Taylor that dominated headlines throughout October. In fact, many are dragging the whole saga back up in the replies to the statement. If you need a refresher, Taylor claimed that she was offered just $4,000 for her work as Bayonetta, but it was later reported by Bloomberg that Platinum actually offered the actress up to $20,000.

Like with the Bayonetta saga, it's worth not jumping to conclusions and waiting for more details. Bethesda has yet to reveal its "documented evidence," and it's likely there's a lot more to the situation that we just don't know about yet. However, Gordon's claims of crunch and mismanagement are a lot more serious than Hellena Taylor's accusations against Platinum, so we'll have to see how this one shakes out in the coming days or weeks.

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