Bethesda recently issued a last-chance warning to consumers for the limited-edition DOOM GPU bundle, and reactions have been quite… unhinged! The company went to its last-ditch final opportunity alert over this special graphics package with a demonic slayer branding that are usually to get gamers excited for something. Rather, the horror show began in the reply section-with no demons and shotguns to fight.
So, the announcement was that the limited edition DOOM bundle is about to be withdrawn, usually the players would be scrambling to grab one while they still can. The bundle is a custom DOOM-designed GPU (probably the rumored RTX 5080), plus merchandise including a mousepad and what looks like a yellow keycard accessory. That keycard is really invoking feelings of DOOM for me, you know, like colored keycards to get through maps. Classic DOOM.
What really got wild, however, was that instead of talking about the bundle itself, people jumped into some very serious mudslinging that has yet to be addressed by the company. If you venture into the depths of the comments, yourselves will find many referring to some incident of employees “cheering for a political murder” and admonishing the company for not responding. Another comment is “Day 15 no statement,” which suggests this has been going on for some time. Another one says “domestic terrorists” for the folks who work for this company. Heavy stuff for a gaming hardware announcement, ain’t it?
Another major one on the docket seems to be the price. Another user crunched some numbers to say it’s overpriced, so much so that Bethesda is basically charging like eight hundred dollars over for just a “limited edition” tag. Tear it apart, and it’s probably around $999 for the GPU itself, then the t-shirt, mouse pad and that keycard thing. Players are basically saying that the bundle price is ridiculous given what you actually get.
And then some Fallout 76 baggage still clings on. Multiple comments bring forth that disaster of 2018, with a certain commenter stating that the bundle is “probably just a picture printed on a piece of cardboard.” Ouch. That really hurts. The launch of that game keeps haunting Bethesda to this day and the picture says a thousand words-that some players have neither forgotten nor forgiven.
Now here’s a twist: some folks actually want the merch-but not in that overpriced bundle. Several comments ask Bethesda to sell the mousepad and t-shirt separately. One user even said the shirt has recently been sold on its own, so why not sell the rest of the items too. The yellow keycard appears to have piqued their interest too, with someone demanding it be sold separately as well.
There’s apparently a little bit of a crossover from other games as well-one user asked for another Fortnite collab to turn DOOM characters into skins. That actually sounds pretty good, won’t lie. Just imagine Doom Slayer dropping into the Fortnite island? That is insane.
Now, like, I know I said something before, right? Oh yeah, tough atmosphere, really. Someone compared Bethesda employees to “demons working tirelessly to destroy everything good and meaningful in life” Quite an intense image in itself. Then there’s an onlooker that declared “Never bethesda again!” which sounds a bit final.
Kind of sad, really, since DOOM is such a big name and the bundle does look good on paper. I bet those GPUs have really cool RGB lighting and custom decals that would just fit perfectly in any gaming setup. But, between the price complaints and the unresolved controversies, Bethesda has some serious community trust issues to work through.
This last-chance announcement feels awkwardly off–like maybe they could have read the room first? When your community is demanding answers to serious allegations, maybe pushing expensive hardware should be the last on your mind. Just saying.
That DOOM bundle is another example of how complicated the relationship between game companies and their player bases really can become. It is not just about cool products anymore. Transparency, pricing, addressing community concerns-all these lie just as much in the limelight. Bethesda may want to slay some demons in their games, but some demons have to be slain in real life first. Until then, this kind of treatment awaits even the coolest limited edition bundle from a slight itch of players that have not been heard.
And so, that’s the whole DOOM bundle drama spill. Are people going to buy them despite the controversy? Some probably will-well, I mean, there will always be collectors and hardcore DOOM fans who just have to have everything. But the response has clearly showed that Bethesda has some work to do if they want to rebuild community trust. Maybe start by acknowledging those employee allegations everyone keeps bringing up? Just a thought.
