The development of Doom: The Dark Ages' expansion, Revelations, reportedly involved intense periods of crunch, with one laid-off id Software developer describing workdays of up to 17 hours. The DLC launched in July, coinciding with Microsoft's announcement of widespread layoffs affecting its studios, including id Software.
Andrew Willis, a producer on the project, stated that in the two months leading up to Revelations' release, the team was working "something like at least 12 hours every day." He recounted instances of hitting 17-hour workdays and sacrificing personal time, such as not seeing his son for entire days, to meet the quality standards expected by players and the team. Willis emphasized that this level of effort was not mandated but rather a consequence of being overloaded with work. "You get loaded up with 60 hours of work in a week, and what do you do?" he questioned, suggesting that compromising on quality was not an option.
Willis indicated that some team members with extensive experience in both Hollywood and game development described this as the "worst crunch they'd been a part of." The emotional toll was compounded by the fact that some developers were laid off the day after the DLC shipped. "You spend so much of your energy and hours of your life, and sacrifice a bunch of things, to get something out the door, and then they lay you off the day before," Willis said. "It's such a wild feeling."
Id Software was significantly impacted by the recent layoffs, with reports suggesting that over half of its staff was let go. The extent of these cuts on the studio's future has become a subject of discussion, with some expressing concern that the departure of key senior and long-time employees, particularly those involved with the id Tech engine and core disciplines, could be detrimental. However, co-studio director Hugo Martin has countered some of these sentiments, noting that the remaining team is comparable in size to the one that developed Doom (2016).
Despite the reported crunch, the Revelations DLC was released on schedule. It remains the only add-on for Doom: The Dark Ages, and the studio's next project has not yet been announced.