It's done
Doom 3 goes gold. Id CEO Todd Hollenshead announces the game's completion, and US and European release dates.
Id Software's Todd Hollenshead has confirmed that Doom 3 has gone gold and been whisked off for duplication. "Yes, this is the official word that DOOM 3 has been code released and has been approved for manufacturing!" Hollenshead wrote in a.plan update this evening.
"Retailers in the States will be allowed to pick up games starting at 12:01 AM on August 3rd. The official street date is actually August 5th in the U.S.A., but some of your favourite stores will probably have it early for those of you who have to have it first," he wrote, before moving onto the subject of international releases, including Europe.
"Internationally, the game will take a few more days to make it to the store shelves. The UK will probably get it first, on or about August 6th. Everywhere else will probably be Friday, August 13th (que Twilight Zone Theme) or close to that date, with just a few exceptions (e.g. Russia and Poland). This isn't because we don't have love for you folks outside the U.S., but the localization and manufacturing process takes a bit longer outside the U.S. where we will have JVC run 24/7 to get the units built. I guess the European manufacturers prefer to give their employees nights and weekends off. Go figure!"
Hollenshead has also promised "preparation tips" in the near future. "In the meantime, I want to see those "DOOM 3 GOLD!!!" threads set new records for swamping message board servers, destroying productivity, and post counts," he added.