John Romero has commented on the layoffs that have impacted Microsoft-owned id Software as part of sweeping cuts to the Xbox business.
Yesterday, Microsoft gaming boss Asha Sharma announced the most “significant” restructure in Xbox history, with 1,600 staff let go immediately, and another 1,600 staff to follow over the course of the current financial year. As part of the restructure, four studios are leaving Xbox to new management, and one is now in consultation over its future.
ZeniMax Media, which operates Bethesda, was hit hard by the layoffs. ZeniMax Online Studios has suffered significant cuts, forcing the remaining developers of The Elder Scrolls Online to rethink future content. And id Software is also heavily affected. The developer of Doom has lost 95 staff, according to former Bethesda Studios project lead Jeff Gardiner. Among them is principal character artist Denzil O’Neill, who worked on Doom The Dark Ages, Doom Eternal, and Doom over the course of 12 years at the studio. The Doom The Dark Ages expansion comes out this week.
Romero, co-founder of id Software and the designer of Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Quake, took to social media to offer affected staff his support, and to call on the studio’s recent legacy to be preserved.
“I’m so sorry for everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs,” Romero tweeted.
“I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It’s a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history.
“The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people.
“A note on digital preservation: id's history is critically important to the history of games. I’ve preserved id’s complete early history from our start at Softdisk through to August 6, 1996, including materials and assets that, as far as I know, id itself no longer has. I hope someone is doing the same for the company’s ongoing legacy (the work, code, assets, stories and the people behind them).
“I’m thinking of everyone at id today, and everyone else affected by yesterday’s layoffs. Romero Games was there a year ago. I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you.”
That’s a reference to last year’s cancelation of Romero Games’ shooter after Microsoft reportedly pulled funding as part of layoffs in July 2025. (This was the round of layoffs that included the cancelation of Rare’s Everwild and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot.) Romero Games did not close, and the Romeros assured fans they were "evaluating opportunities" from publishers that had been in touch since the funding issues were announced, but very little was known about the game other than it was a first-person shooter.
Meanwhile, the future of id Software remains unclear. MachineGames has survived the cull, with a new Wolfenstein game pretty much an open secret at this point. Could what remains of id Software be put to work supporting its development, or perhaps helping another studio make a new Fallout game?
Sharma has made it clear that Xbox wants to double down on its biggest franchises. Bethesda boss Jill Braff has told staff much the same. Without naming games, Braff said “to best position Bethesda for future growth, we are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what's next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole.”
“From there, we’ll align the right talent, technology, and resources across the organization to deliver on those priorities,” Braff added. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier has said that Bethesda will continue to work on Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake alongside The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images for SDCCMalaga.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
