John Romero has shared an interesting tidbit with the gaming community, revealing the origin of theDeer Hunterseries, and many would not have guessed its ties to a popular retail chain. TheDeer Hunterseries compiled a selection of hunting simulation games, beginning with the self-titled PC, Macintosh, and Game Boy Color release in the late 90s. The franchise saw over 20 entries under the main IP, and players were dropped into meadows and dense forests where an array of animals, UFOs, and even Bigfoot could be spotted.
Romero is a legendary developer in the video games industry, with several iconic projects under his name, and as a co-founder of id Software, some of those beloved IPs includeDoom,Wolfenstein, andQuake. There’s a long list of acclaimed and nostalgicJohn Romero games, includingHeretic,Hexen: Beyond Heretic, andDangerous Dave, to name a few outside theDoomfranchise.
During a podcast interview with Nightdive Studios, Romero revealed Walmart was the reason behind theDeer Hunterseries’ inception, as the brand became a big name in the industry during the 90s for selling gaming products. The retail chain has become a go-to for gamers to bag the latest games or consoles, includingWalmart’s Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders that came as a surpriserecently. Thanks to id Software’s working relationship with GT Interactive, the PC publisher that evolved into the modern Atari, an invitation to Walmart’s shelves was achieved.
John Romero Reveals Deer Hunter Series' Origin With Walmart
Despite the litany ofFPS games that were inspired byDoom, Romero also revealed that Walmart’s primary buyer was a Texas-based executive who had a hunger for a much simpler hunting game tethered to the real world. “‘I just want a deer hunting game. You make one of those, and I guarantee, you’ll sell out,’” Romero recalled quoting the executive, and GT responded by getting to work fast on theDeer Hunterseries.
Concluding the podcast interview, Romero closed with the future of gaming, after emphasizing that the existence of the hunting genre was thanks to Walmart. The developer believed that indie games were the future of the industry, and there has been no short supply of them. Some of thebest indie games merge genres, including the likes ofFTL: Faster Than Light,The Forgotten City, andSlay The Spire, and consideringClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s monumental success, as it’s often considered an indie, the genre may well be leading the pack.
