Thatcher's Techbase

Thatcher's Techbase
Developer(s)3D: Doom Daddy Digital
Director(s)Jim Purvis
Artist(s)Rafael Batista de Lima
Composer(s)Barry Topping
EngineDoom engine
Platform(s)Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii[1]
Release24 September 2021
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Singleplayer
Multiplayer

Thatcher's Techbase is a mod for the video game Doom II, released by Scottish Doom developer 3D: Doom Daddy Digital on 24 September 2021. The game is set in the United Kingdom, and the player is tasked with killing former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who has risen from the dead.

Gameplay

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See also: Doom (1993 video game) § Gameplay

Thatcher's Techbase is a WAD for Doom 2, and largely retains the same first-person shooter gameplay, but features new weapons, levels, and enemies.[2][3] The WAD supports co-op and deathmatch, and it offers five difficulty levels.[4]

Doomguy fighting a chaingunner with the new Winchester shotgun. Pro-Thatcher propaganda is visible in the background.

Plot

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In Thatcher's Techbase, Margaret Thatcher, "one of humanity's greatest threats",[5] rises from the dead, leading the player to descend into the tenth circle of Hell, the United Kingdom, in order to kill her and send her back to Hell.[3]

Development

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Development of Thatcher's Techbase began in winter 2020 as a joke, after director Jim Purvis saw Twitter user @spewlieandrews claim that if he was sent to Hell, he would "spend eternity scouring the place for Thatcher".[6] Purvis said that the game is dedicated to "everyone Margaret Thatcher hated and everyone who hated Margaret Thatcher".[7]

On 15 September 2021, a trailer for Thatcher's Techbase was released, which announced the game's release date.[4] Initial response to the announcement was described by Purvis "as shockingly huge", with the WAD receiving the attention of initial Doom developer John Romero.[6]

The game's soundtrack is composed by Barry "Epoch" Topping, who also wrote the music for Paradise Killer.[8]

Controversy

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In September 2022, Thatcher's Techbase featured in a number of British newspapers when former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn was pictured playing an arcade version of the game at The World Transformed in Liverpool.[9][10][11] Later, in 2024, Bethesda removed Thatcher's Techbase mod from Doom II's official mod browsers due to concerns over "real-world politics".[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ "Thatcher's Techbase". GitHub. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  2. ^ Price, Renata (15 September 2021). "To Win The Game You Must Kill Me, Margaret Thatcher". Kotaku. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  3. ^ a b Clayton, Natalie (2021-09-15). "Hunt down a resurrected Maggie Thatcher in this frightfully British Doom campaign". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  4. ^ a b Good, Owen S. (2021-09-15). "Doom mod resurrects Margaret Thatcher as a Cyberdemon". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  5. ^ Mason, Richard (16 September 2021). "You can hunt Margaret Thatcher through Hell in rework of classic video game". The National. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  6. ^ a b Peppiatt, Dom (2021-09-16). "Inside 'Thatcher's Techbase', the 'Doom' mod that lets you kill Margaret Thatcher". NME. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  7. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2021-09-15). "Thatcher's Techbase sees the return of "one of humanity's greatest threats"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  8. ^ Connor, Alice O' (2021-09-15). "This new Doom mod will let you send Thatcher back to Hell". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  9. ^ Fletcher, Harry (2022-09-26). "Jeremy Corbyn played a version of 'Doom' that lets you 'kill Thatcher'". The Independent. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  10. ^ Penna, Dominic (2022-09-26). "Pictured: Jeremy Corbyn plays video game that lets players kill Margaret Thatcher". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  11. ^ Ledwith, Mario (2022-09-27). "Jeremy Corbyn takes on the 'demon Maggie'". The Times. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  12. ^ Al-Tekreeti, Abdullah (2024-09-02). "Bethesda Removes Margret Thatcher Doom Mod". DualShockers. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  13. ^ Wales, Matt (2024-09-02). "Bethesda yanks Thatcher's Techbase Doom mod from in-game browser". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
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