Bethesda yanks Thatcher’s Techbase Doom mod from in-game browser

Thatcher’s Techbase – the Doom WAD that sees players descending to the Tenth Circle of Hell to thwart the return of “one of humanity’s greatest threats” – has been yanked from Bethesda’s new in-game mod browser after being reported for “real-world politics”.

Thatcher’s Techbase initially released back in 2021, but developer Jim Purvis recently decided to take advantage of Bethesda’s official community-published mod support – which launched for PC and consoles as part of Doom 1 & 2’s enhanced bundle back in August – giving Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox owners the opportunity to play the WAD for the first time.

But alas, the four-map Thatcher’s Techbase – which includes a soundtrack by Paradise Killer composer Barry “Epoch” Topping and voice work from Hades’ Laila Berzins – has now seen its moment in the console spotlight come to a premature end.

In a takedown notice shared by Purvis on social media, Bethesda said Thatcher’s Techbase had “been reported for real-world politics and has been removed”. While the company stressed the mod was not in violation of its Terms of Service or Code of Conduct, it encouraged Purvis to “educate yourself on Modding Guidelines and Community Rules”.

Thatcher’s Techbase does, of course, remain available to PC players through the usual, non-Bethesda channels – and while console players will now be missing out, they can at least take some solace in the fact they’re playing a decent version of Doom. Digital Foundry recently took at look at developer Nightdive’s latest remasters of the id Software classics, calling them, “Not quite perfect – but excellent nonetheless.”