Long before ZeniMax studios acquired id Software, they had another interested suitor due to the rise in the now-iconic game, Doom. In 1995, Microsoft saw Id's overwhelming success and briefly thought about acquiring them.
We almost got a very different history for Doom and Id Software, but Microsoft opted not to purchase the company. This decision lead to one of the most unique stories behind a Doom port to date.
Doom was first released on MS-DOS in 1993 and was a massive hit. The game was so popular that by the time Windows 95 hit, it was estimated Doom would be played more than the operating system would be used. Id Software was still a relatively new company, and their first title had managed to gain more success than a Microsoft OS with massive advertising campaigns.
Future Valve co-founder Gabe Newell worked for Microsoft during this time and wanted to give Doom an upgrade by porting it from MS-DOS to the new Windows 95. He reportedly called John Carmack, co-founder of Id Software, and said Microsoft would do the port for free, bringing about Doom95 in 1996. It was one of the first games to use the then-new DirectX, allowing the game to show off the OS's capabilities and promote developing games for Windows. Bill Gates was even featured in a promotional video where he was superimposed into Doom95.
This version ran natively on the OS with its own launcher and is compatible with Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and Final Doom. The launcher has a feature that allows players to load mod files for the games. At the time, this made booting up mods easier. Now there are so many different versions of Doom that do this better that it's not really a feature.
Another new feature for Doom95 is the ability to run the games in different resolutions. Originally, Doom and Doom II could only run at 320x200. Thanks to DirectX, Doom95 can run these games at 320x240, 640x400, 640x480, and even windowed mode.
The game also featured several other improvements, such as more sound channels for better quality music and effects, and added a few more cheats. Regular Doom has its own set of cheats, but Doom95 added one that kills all monsters in a level and one that makes enemies ignore players unless hurt or a weapon is shot.
Because of some issues when trying to run it on newer versions of Windows, Doom95 isn't included in re-releases on platforms like Steam and GoG. It still uses DirectX, which has evolved over the years, so it can take some technical know-how to get it to work right. There are mods today that do what Doom95 was designed to do better, but it's still an interesting piece of the franchise's history.