John Romero and Industry Veterans Respond as Reports Indicate Deep Layoffs at id Software
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Reports indicate id Software is losing roughly half its team, including key technology staff, amid corporate restructuring by Microsoft. Industry veterans and co-founder John Romero have responded to the steep cuts.
Reports indicate that id Software has been hit with severe workforce reductions, with estimates suggesting the studio is losing roughly half of its team during the release week of the Doom: The Dark Ages expansion, Revelations. While Microsoft has not officially confirmed the total number of departures, industry figures including 3D Realms founder Scott Miller and former Bethesda project lead Jeff Gardiner have pointed to substantial cuts, particularly targeting the legendary engineering and technology division that built the studio's foundational engines.
The timing has drawn sharp criticism from outgoing staff and the broader development community. Michael Maynard, a twenty-year veteran systems programmer at id, voiced intense frustration on LinkedIn regarding the dismantling of a team responsible for industry-leading first-person shooter technology across multiple console generations. These cuts arrive amid broader corporate restructuring under Xbox, with leadership pointing toward streamlined toolsets and cleaner code bases for future projects.
Doom co-founder John Romero expressed public support for the affected developers via Bluesky, drawing on his own history with the studio and recent industry hardships. Meanwhile, community discussions are centering on what these structural changes mean for the future of id Tech, an engine family that has powered classic shooters and modern iterations alike for decades. For more details on the initial reports and staff reactions, you can read the full coverage at Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: id Software, Doom, Microsoft, Xbox, Industry News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun