Independent developer id Software today announced Doom 4 is under development. The title is the fourth game in the franchise that has been credited for pioneering the first-person shooter. The latest title in the Doom series will be developed in-house, and will be the first in-house developed title since Doom 3 that was released in 2004. While no platforms were announced, gamers can likely count on Doom arriving on the usual three platforms – the PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3. No further details of the game content or expected released date were given by id.

Doom 4 will likely take advantage of id’s latest Tech 5 engine that was originally shown off at E3 in 2007 and then at John Carmack’s keynote at Quakecon 2007. Tech 5 is cross-platform, allowing developers to render the same models without having to write different codes for each platform. The new engine will also be OpenGL based and will not require DirectX 10 to run.

Id Software is coinciding the title announcement with a plethora of new jobs available in hopes of grabbing new talent to aid in development of Doom 4. Roles range from producer to lead animator and hints at the platforms Doom is being developed for.

"Doom is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth," said id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead.

Since Doom 3, id has developed Quake 4 and Enemy Territory: Quake War. Both titles were produced externally. This recent announcement is unusual for a developer since this would force id Software to retain two teams for future development.

Source : Tom's Hardware