Bethesda published the official box art, which is still what customers will see when they find the game box at retailer or see the cover online, during a media push last month. The cover features an armor-clad soldier carrying a shotgun, face covered by a visor, standing in front of yellow smoke. Pundits such as Polygon’s Ben Kuchera criticized the company for turning one of gaming’s legendary franchises into something that “perfectly content to blend into a wall of boring, mechanical protagonists.”
“The Doom cover looks like the front of a fake game someone mocked up for a television show to keep from paying to use any official art,” Kuchera said. “It looks like someone turned Bud Light into a video game.”
Developers, such as Bioshock Infinite creator Ken Levine, have said market research suggests putting a stoic man with a gun is the best way to shooters to people judging games by their covers, which explains why so many games rely on the trope.
The developer is currently holding a poll on Twitter to help decide between two potential designs that will serve as the alternate cover. One cover, a clear iteration on the original Doom box art, shows an armored soldier standing on a pile of skeletons, surrounded by demons.
The second is black, with a red-eyed skull with long horns on the front, and a vaguely satanic-looking red seal on the back.
You can vote for Doom‘s alternate box art on the game’s Twitter account. The poll will remain open until 11 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 6.
Doom will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC May 13.
