Original Doom co-creator and designer John Romero has released a new Doom II level called "One Humanity" to help raise money for the people of Ukraine.
One Humanity is Romero's first new creation for the game since 1994. It's available right now for $5.50 on Romero's website. All proceeds go toward the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the Red Cross, humanitarian charities working to help those caught in the middle of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Romero shared his fundraising effort on Twitter, providing a link to the shop where Doom II owners can purchase the level. The caption reads, "To support the people of Ukraine and the humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, I'm releasing a new DOOM II level for a donation of €5. 100% of the proceeds go toward these agencies. Thank you. romero.com"
Featuring 32 levels in a single linear episode, Doom II continues Doom's story, seeing the player returning to Earth to fight off an invasion of the planet by demons single-handedly. Doom II includes several gameplay enhancements over the original Doom. If you choose to buy Romero's new level, you need to own a copy of Doom II to play it. Once you've purchased it, you'll be emailed a download link which you can use up to three times. The Doom series' impact on the gaming and film world is still very relevant. With its initial release in 1993 and revival in 2016, its influence on the FPS genre is felt in many games today.
Of course, this news comes from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine after Russia openly attacked and invaded the country last week. Many efforts across gaming like Romero's have been enacted to help Ukraine. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently called upon video game companies, including Sony and Microsoft, to stand with Ukraine, asking the companies to block all Russian and Belarusian accounts, halt Russian and Belarusian participation in international Esports events, and cancel all gaming events held in those territories.