Bloody Hell, Microsoft Just Cancelled John Romero's New Shooter - What's Going On?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Microsoft's recent layoffs have claimed another victim: John Romero's new shooter project at Romero Games, which has now lost its funding and reportedly shuttered its doors, leaving a lot of talent in the dust and a promising game unfinished. A huge shame for everyone involved!
Right, buckle up, because this one's a bit of a gut punch. Word on the street (thanks to our mates at Eurogamer) is that John Romero's next big shooter project – you know, the one from the legend himself, co-creator of *Doom* – has lost its funding. And guess who's holding the purse strings that just snapped? You guessed it: Microsoft.
According to Eurogamer, Romero Games, based in Galway, dropped a bit of a bombshell on social media, mentioning that their publisher had pulled the plug not just on their game, but also on "other unannounced projects at other studios". Ouch. While the initial statement was all cryptic-like, it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who the publisher in question was, especially after the massive layoffs Microsoft announced the day before.
To add insult to injury, Christoph Redl, an artist at Romero Games, confirmed on social media that he'd lost his job because of the Xbox layoffs. Talk about a double whammy. The game itself was shaping up to be something special: an all-new shooter based on an original IP, built using Unreal Engine 5. Sounds pretty tasty, doesn't it?
Brenda Romero, CEO and co-founder of Romero Games (and John's wife), didn't mince words in the studio's statement. She said they were "heartbroken" and that this wasn't a reflection of their team's work or the project's quality. Apparently, they were hitting every milestone, getting rave reviews internally, and generally knocking it out of the park. Which makes this whole situation even more baffling, doesn't it?
John Romero himself echoed those sentiments, calling his team "the best people I've ever worked with". Which, coming from a guy who basically invented the modern shooter, is saying something.
Now, here's where it gets a bit meta. *Doom*, the game that made Romero a household name (at least in gaming households), was developed at id Software, which is now part of Zenimax Media, which is... you guessed it, owned by Microsoft. So, in a roundabout way, Microsoft has now canned a game from the guy who helped build the company they now own. The irony is thicker than a cyberdemon's hide, eh?
It's worth remembering the sheer scale of the Microsoft layoffs too. Thousands of people across Zenimax, King, Turn 10, and Raven Software were affected. And it's not just projects getting canned; Rare's *Everwild* apparently kicked the bucket, the *Perfect Dark* reboot at The Initiative is no more, and some unannounced MMORPG at Zenimax got the axe as well. What is going on over there? It feels like a real house cleaning - or a strategic realignment. Matt Firor, head of Zenimax Online Studios, even jumped ship amidst all the chaos. Veteran developer Gregg Mayles is supposedly leaving Rare after 35 years!
So, what does all this mean for Romero Games? They're scrambling to find alternative funding, but as it stands, the studio is essentially closed. Everyone's out of a job. It's a bloody tragedy, especially considering the talent involved and the potential of the project. Let's hope they manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat and find a way to resurrect this shooter. We need more creatively fueled projects, not less, especially when they come from gaming legends. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
Tags: John Romero, Microsoft, Layoffs, Romero Games, Game Development
Original article: Eurogamer