A Gaming Legend Enters Solana: Doom Co-Designer Sandy Petersen Launches $DOOM and a Free Play-to-Earn
— By Tony Rabbit in Markets
One of the most respected names in gaming has arrived on Solana. Sandy Petersen, a designer of the original 1993 Doom and creator of the Call of Cthulhu RPG, has launched a $DOOM token and a free play-to-earn site (doomsol.com), announced from his verified X account. We read it on-chain: a lively day-two start around a $3.76M market cap, ~$11M in 24h volume, and, as a graduated pump.fun token, a burned liquidity pool that cannot be pulled, with a clean safety scan. For accuracy: Petersen co-designed the original game but does not own the Doom trademark, so this is a project from a co-creator, built on the open-source engine, not an official franchise release.
Crypto gets plenty of celebrity launches, and most are forgettable. This one is different. Sandy Petersen, one of the designers of the original 1993 Doom, the creator of the legendary Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG, and a contributor to Age of Empires, has arrived on Solana with a token called $DOOM and a free play-to-earn site at doomsol.com. This is not an anonymous team hiding behind a famous name; it is a genuine gaming icon planting a flag in on-chain culture, and the community has met it with real energy. Announcing it from his verified account, @SandyofCthulhu, Petersen called day one "amazing" and teased more to come, and the early on-chain numbers back the buzz: $DOOM is already trading around a $3.76 million market cap on day two.
One quick note for accuracy, then let us enjoy the moment: Petersen co-designed the original Doom rather than owning the trademark, which sits with id Software and Microsoft. So this is a passion project from a co-creator, built on Doom's open-source engine, not an official franchise release. With that clear, it is a genuinely fun idea from someone who helped define the shooter genre.
A day-two launch with real momentum
The numbers describe a lively, healthy start. In its first couple of days $DOOM has done around $11 million in trading volume and holds roughly $0.41 million of liquidity across its pools. Crucially, as a graduated pump.fun launch its liquidity pool is burned, meaning that liquidity is permanently locked and cannot be pulled by anyone, and an automated safety scan flagged no major red flags. If you want to sanity-check any of this yourself, you can run the contract through our Token Safety Checker or watch it alongside other fresh launches on our new token tracker.
Play Doom, earn SOL
Play. Clear the level. The best scores earn SOL.
Four steps from opening the tab to landing on the payout board, as laid out on the project's own site.
The most charming part of the project is doomsol.com, and it is refreshingly simple. It is free to play, with no entry fee and no token required to jump in. You play the classic Doom in your browser, running on the open-source engine, and rack up points by blasting enemies, uncovering secrets and clearing levels. The best scores in each round share an on-chain pool of SOL. It turns a piece of gaming history into a skill-based way to earn a little Solana, and it is a smart, welcoming front door to the wider $DOOM community rather than a paywall. For a lot of people, this will be the first time earning crypto feels like just playing a great old game.
A real name behind it
"Doom's open license makes it safe for me to use, but obviously anyone can send lawyers at any time for any reason, however specious."
Sandy Petersen (@SandyofCthulhu), co-designer of the original Doom, responding on X to this coverage on August 4, 2026.
Part of what makes this launch stand out is simply who is behind it. Petersen is one of the most respected designers in the history of the medium: he built many of the levels in the original Doom and its sequel, worked on Quake, created Call of Cthulhu back in 1981, contributed to Age of Empires, and now runs Petersen Games. A creator with that kind of legacy stepping directly into Solana, under his own verified name, is exactly the sort of crossover that brings new eyes to on-chain culture. It is a genuinely exciting moment for gaming and crypto alike.
Play it smart
None of the enthusiasm changes the basics of memecoin safety, so a couple of friendly reminders. $DOOM is a brand-new, small-cap pump.fun token, which means it can be very volatile and swing hard on a single big trade, so only ever use what you can comfortably afford to lose. And because big-name launches always attract copycats, confirm the official contract from Petersen's verified account (@SandyofCthulhu) before you touch anything, and ignore any address dropped in a reply or by a lookalike profile. The burned liquidity and clean safety scan are good signs, not guarantees. Do your own research, have fun with it, and remember this is information, not financial advice.
Data note. The launch was announced from Sandy Petersen's verified X account (@SandyofCthulhu). Token figures (market cap ~$3.76M, price ~$0.0039, 24h volume ~$11M, liquidity ~$0.41M across pools, liquidity pool burned as standard for a graduated pump.fun token, contract Gymbmn9wwMKe4NnmVceyyfpncp9arbwPfSdBsyY9pump, launched Aug 3 on pump.fun) were read by DEXTools News from on-chain data and rugcheck on August 4, 2026. Sandy Petersen co-designed the original 1993 Doom but does not own the Doom trademark (id Software / Microsoft); this project is not officially affiliated with the current Doom rights holders, and doomsol.com uses the game's open-source engine. This is information, not financial advice; memecoin trading carries a high risk of total loss.