As had previously been hinted by Todd Hollenshead, Doom 3 for Xbox is set to miss its original 2004 release date; with Ron Doornink telling Gamespot that a March 2005 release would be likely.

Indeed, a quick poke around Activision’s latest financial report does indicate this very same thing. And contrasting with id’s typical approach that “it will be ready when it’s ready”, it would seem that the delay isn’t necessarily due to un-readiness. According to Activision chairman and CEO, Robert Kotick, “The change in Activision’s third quarter outlook was based on over performance of its titles in the second quarter [culminating in the company’s best ever Q2 performance], which the company expects will result in a lower likelihood of reorders during the third quarter, and the movement of Doom 3 for the Xbox into the fourth quarter.”

It has also been suggested that the “Resurrection of Evil” Doom 3 PC expansion pack will be shipping at around the same period. The Xbox Doom 3 release date has yet to be made official, but an early 2005 release does seem more plausible than a 2004 one. Regardless of the reasons for the delay, avoiding a clash with the launch of that particular Xbox Bungie FPS can only be a good thing for Activision.

As soon as the release dates are official-ised, read them here.