Doom mods, no pun intended, are eternal. Ever since the first WADs were beamed across dial-up internet back in 1993, id Software’s FPS game and its accompanying level creation tools have become an artistic medium in and of themselves; digital versions of brush and canvas through which myriad budding game-makers may share their visions with the world. One infamous Doom mod, however, has reportedly been pulled from the official listings by Bethesda, which apparently claims it cannot appear in the studio’s certified catalogue owing to its political nature. The Starfield and Skyrim maker, which also holds the rights to the Doom series, says that it has received reports of the mod’s political subject matter and removed it as a result.
Thatcher’s Techbase is a Doom mod by Jim Purvis, wherein you infiltrate a demonic lair operated by the former British Prime Minister in order to eliminate both her and her hellish army. Originally released in 2021, it was recently added to the official mod collection for the FPS game following the launch of the Doom 1 and Doom 2 compilation in August. Sharing what is apparently an email from Bethesda, however, Purvis says that Thatcher’s Techbase has now been removed from Doom’s certified mod listings.
“Bad news, everyone,” Purvis writes alongside what appears to be an email from the Elder Scrolls developer. “The creation Thatcher’s Techbase has been reported for real-world politics and has been removed,” the supposed message from Bethesda explains.
“As a result, this account is receiving an educational notice. While this action was not taken as a violation of our Terms of Service or Code of Conduct, we encourage you to educate yourself on the modding guidelines and community rules.”
As of Monday September 2, however, it appears that an alternate version of Thatcher’s Techbase has been uploaded to the official Doom mod catalogue, at least for the PC edition of the Doom 1 and Doom 2 compilation. This uploaded of Thatcher’s Techbase is credited to a ‘letskissbro’ – Jim Purvis, creator of Thatcher’s Techbase, uses the X handle ‘letshugbro.’
Set within “The Tenth Circle of Hell: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” Thatcher’s Techbase is essentially a fan-made single-player campaign. PCGamesN has contacted Bethesda and will update this story with any official comment.
If you miss the classic days of Doom, try some of the other best old games you can still run today, or maybe get the best zombie games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.