The gaming world is reeling after reports surfaced that Microsoft has laid off roughly half of id Software’s team — a staggering blow to the studio behind DOOM, Quake, and some of the most influential technology in FPS history.
According to multiple sources including former colleagues and industry veterans like 3D Realms founder Scott Miller, around 95 id Software employees were let go this week. The timing couldn’t be more painful: the cuts landed during the launch window for DOOM: The Dark Ages expansion “Revelations.”
Among the most vocal critics is Michael Maynard, a 20-year systems programmer at id who made his feelings clear in a LinkedIn post. Maynard didn’t hold back, calling the decision to cut half the team a waste — especially given the studio’s track record of delivering three consecutive critically acclaimed DOOM titles that many consider the gold standard of modern first-person action games.
The layoffs hit id’s technology division particularly hard, which has raised serious questions about the future of the id Tech engine. Industry observers speculate Microsoft may be moving toward Epic’s Unreal Engine 6 for future projects, though that theory comes with its own set of concerns given recent controversy around AI features in Epic’s tooling.
Perhaps the most poignant response came from John Romero, one of id Software’s original founders and co-creators of the 1993 DOOM. Speaking on Bluesky, Romero expressed his sympathy for everyone affected and drew a parallel to his own experience — his studio Romero Games was forced to lay off staff last year after losing funding for a new shooter project.
Romero also used the moment to emphasize the importance of digital preservation, revealing that he personally maintains id Software’s complete early history from their days at Softdisk through August 1996. He urged the current team to safeguard code, assets, and stories that risk being lost during the reorganization.
The broader context makes this sting even more. Microsoft’s sweeping cuts across its gaming division have also impacted studios like Obsidian, Arkane, and Ninja Theory. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the moves as a push to “streamline” operations and focus on major franchises — but for the developers on the ground, it feels like being reduced to numbers on a spreadsheet.
As hardware prices climb and optimization becomes increasingly critical, cutting the very engineers who know how to squeeze performance out of aging hardware seems like a questionable strategy at best. For the hundreds of talented developers now looking for new opportunities, the DOOM spirit of perseverance will need to extend beyond the screen.
Jordan Hayes is a staff writer at SteamGamer.net covering PC gaming news, hardware, and the latest from the Steam ecosystem. When not writing, Jordan is probably buried in a roguelike or arguing about GPU prices.
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