Bethesda Sues Over Doom-Inspired Memecoin Backed by Ex-Doom Designer
On August 3, Sandy Petersen, a notable designer from the Doom series and a frequent social media debater with John Romero, shared a video on his X account. In the clip, he sported a Doom T-shirt while sitting at his PC, linking to his profile on a crypto trading platform. “I’m thoroughly part of the community,” he stated. “We can build this together.” He showcased his purchase of a token from the new “$DOOM” memecoin, spending over $187. Reactions in the comments ranged from excitement to concern for Petersen’s well-being.
Later that day, he uploaded another video where he invested an additional $1,000 into the token. He also shared a link to a site where players could enjoy a version of Doom in their browser and earn Sol, the native cryptocurrency of the Solana blockchain. For the next few days, he continued to promote both the coin and the game, named Doomsol, claiming it had thousands of players.
Petersen’s exact involvement with the $DOOM memecoin and Doomsol remains somewhat unclear. However, his posts suggest he is at least contributing to the design of Doom levels for Doomsol and actively promoting the coin on his social media. His son, Arthur Petersen, appears to be significantly involved as well, having reshared a post from a crypto promoter who claimed that Sandy was “receiving fees” and “being paid very well” for creating new Doom levels for Doomsol. They also mentioned that “This is SANDY retirement coin due to not being paid as well as he should’ve at Doom.”
Petersen is well-regarded in the Doom community for his contributions to both Doom 1 and 2, as well as Quake. He frequently interacts with fans, but his recent shift into the crypto space has raised eyebrows. It would have been surprising enough for him to endorse a memecoin, but there were inconsistencies that caught attention. For example, he posted a video claiming to play Doomsol, but it was actually footage from Freedoom, a separate fan project. This prompted the official Freedoom account to clarify that they do not endorse cryptocurrency scams and advised people to steer clear of them.
Soon after, the creators of the coin pulled the rug, causing its value to plummet. Petersen abruptly ceased his posts about both $DOOM and Doomsol. He resurfaced on social media at the end of August, seemingly in response to a group claiming to be working on Doomsol, attempting to revive interest in the game and the coin after the original creator vanished. Despite a brief spike in value, the coin never regained its initial highs, and both Petersens quickly went quiet again.
The situation is quite perplexing. Sandy Petersen is listed as the creator of Doomsol on an archived website, but it’s unclear if he also developed the memecoin. Additionally, similar projects like Quakesol and Wolfensteinsol have emerged, but it’s uncertain if Petersen is involved with those as well. As of now, all three websites appear to have been taken down, although they can still be accessed via the Wayback Machine.
Petersen has claimed that Doomsol is legally safe due to Doom’s open license. However, this license primarily allows for creative uses like developing new games or porting Doom to various platforms, not for redistributing Doom or using its assets (such as its logo, which appears on the Doomsol website) for commercial purposes. Consequently, it’s not surprising that Bethesda is reportedly sending legal notices to the individual behind Doomsol, likely a cease and desist, although the specifics of the letter remain undisclosed. Bethesda has not confirmed who the letter is directed to, but it seems probable that it’s aimed at Petersen, given his role as the creator.
A Bethesda spokesperson stated that the company’s concern lies not with creative experimentation but with preventing consumer confusion and harm. Essentially, Bethesda wants to ensure that neither $DOOM nor Doomsol is perceived as an official product, as using Doom assets for commercial ventures is not permitted. They support continued creative and academic uses of the open-source engine but oppose recreating and distributing Doom in a web browser to promote a memecoin.
“The strength of Doom comes from its passionate community, and we believe players deserve clear information about what is and isn’t an official Doom experience,” the spokesperson remarked. “Our focus is on helping fans understand which projects are produced by Bethesda and id Software, and which are not affiliated with or endorsed by Bethesda or id Software. When there is a risk of confusion around affiliation or endorsement, we take appropriate steps to preserve that clarity.”
Attempts to reach both Petersens for comments regarding Doomsol and $DOOM were unsuccessful before publication. They have been contacted again for their thoughts on this new legal development, and updates will be provided as soon as they respond.
