Xbox's latest round of layoffs struck id Software hard, cutting roughly half the studio's workforce. The legendary Doom developer, which Microsoft owns, faced particularly severe cuts to its technology division. The studio itself survives, but the human cost runs deep.
John Romero, id Software's co-founder, responded publicly to the layoffs with empathy and a practical call to action. "I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you," he wrote, urging departing staff to preserve critical studio assets before they vanish. He specifically called for the safeguarding of "code, assets, stories" and other historical records that could disappear during restructuring.
This layoff fits into Microsoft's broader purge across gaming. The company simultaneously shuttered Double Fine Productions, Arkane Studios, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, and Ninja Theory, eliminating thousands of jobs across its gaming division. The timing caught many by surprise, coming as these studios had ongoing projects in various stages of development.
Id Software's technology team bore the brunt of the cuts. The studio remains operational and under Xbox's ownership, but losing half its staff, particularly veteran engineers and architects, fundamentally weakens its technical capacity. Id built its reputation on cutting-edge engine work and revolutionary game design. Losing that institutional knowledge creates real risks for future projects.
Romero's message hints at deeper concerns about id's legacy. The studio has decades of history, from pioneering the FPS genre with Doom and Quake to building id Tech engines that powered competitors' games. Assets, source code, and design documentation from those eras carry immense historical and technical value. Without deliberate preservation, layoffs can scatter or delete irreplaceable materials.
The departing staff themselves have aired frustrations publicly. Xbox reportedly gave little warning and minimal severance. For a studio that helped define modern