Major Layoffs Hit id Software as Doom: The Dark Ages DLC Rolls Out
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
id Software has suffered massive layoffs impacting nearly half of its staff just as Doom: The Dark Ages receives its latest DLC, raising serious questions about the future of the studio and its proprietary game engine.
As reported by Eurogamer, id Software has been heavily impacted by ongoing Xbox structural changes, with reports indicating that nearly half of the studio has been let downsized just as the Doom: The Dark Ages expansion launches. Industry sources and former developers took to social media to share that around 95 positions have been cut at the studio. This massive reduction arrives amid a broader corporate strategy targeting thousands of job cuts across Xbox divisions and ZeniMax through the fiscal year 2027.
The timing of these cuts feels especially punishing for the community and the remaining staff. The downsizing targets teams responsible for foundational gaming technology, specifically hitting deep into the engineering talent behind the proprietary id Tech engine. Longtime developers and concept artists who shaped modern entries in the franchise have confirmed their departures on professional networks. While studio leadership has attempted to project stability, the sheer scale of the departures has left players and industry observers deeply concerned about the future technical direction of the studio.
For players invested in high performance first person shooters, the erosion of specialized engine talent is a worrying development. The id Tech engine has historically set technical benchmarks across the industry for smooth, high frame rate action on PC and current gen consoles. Losing the specialized knowledge that built these systems threatens to drain the institutional memory that made these legendary franchises work so well. It is a sobering reminder of how corporate restructuring continues to impact the talented teams behind our favorite virtual worlds.
Tags: id Software, Xbox, Doom, Industry News, ZeniMax
Original article: Eurogamer