Romero's Sigil hit by second delay

Sigil, a 'megawad' level pack for seminal first-person shooter Doom created by original level designer John Romero, has been delayed yet again - due, Romero explains, 'to issues with the [bundled] coin and my severed head'.

Announced back in December last year, Sigil is a so-called 'megawad' - a large collection of content in Where's All the Data (WAD) format, typically used for complete level packs or total conversions - for Id Software's 1993 classic first-person shooter Doom. Created by John Romero, Id Software alumnus and designer of some of the game's most memorable levels, Sigil is to come in three flavours: a free download; a physical big-box release with 16GB floppy-shaped USB drive alongside a two-disc jewel case with game and soundtrack plus a pair of stickers; and the ultimate version, the Beast Box, which includes an oversize package inspired by the Id Anthology collection and personally signed by Romero along with an art print signed by illustrator Christopher Lovell, a collectable coin, a T-shirt, and a pewter statue of Romero's head impaled on a spike - inspired by a hidden secret in the final level of Doom II.

Sadly, production of the physical editions has not been going according to plan, and Romero has been forced to issue a second delay to the pack - resulting in a sentence you wouldn't expect to read. 'The game itself is done,' Romero explains via Twitter, 'but due to some production issues with the coin and my severed head, the big boxes are not ready to ship. Sorry! I can't release the free version until the Beast Box ships.'

Under the new schedule, the physical boxes will begin shipping in the first week of May while the free download will follow a week later - giving paying customers a chance to be the first to play the new levels.