A DOOM fan spending what he says could be his final weeks in hospital has gone viral on Reddit after sharing that his last wish was to play the latest entry in the franchise, prompting a direct response from the game’s director at id Software.
The post appeared on the r/Doom subreddit in late January, where a Canadian user explained that he has been battling cancer since 2022 and is now facing a sharply reduced life expectancy. Writing from a hospital in Toronto, he said doctors allowed him to make a special request during his stay, which resulted in the hospital securing a PS5 and a copy of the new DOOM game for him to play.
The fan said he has loved DOOM since 2016 and credited the series with helping him through difficult periods in his life. He explained that financial issues had previously prevented him from buying the new game, making the opportunity to finally play it feel especially meaningful.
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In his post, he described playing through Chapter 4 and feeling “childish glee” as he returned to what he called his roots as a “badass Demon Slayer,” even as he acknowledged he might not live to see future DLC.
He ended his message by thanking the developers at id Software for creating a series that helped define the FPS genre for him, signing off with the franchise’s iconic rallying cry: “Rip & Tear.”
The post quickly gained traction, eventually catching the attention of DOOM’s game director. Hugo Martin, posting from his verified Reddit account, replied directly to the fan.
In his message, Hugo Martin said the entire studio salutes him and thanked him for supporting the series. Martin wrote that the team always reminds itself how much players care about their games, adding that it has been “the honor of our professional lives” to make the recent DOOM titles.
He closed by telling the fan that when the studio designs the Slayer, they give him strength, courage, and heart, and said, “We make him like you. You are the real Slayer.”
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