id Software, the studio behind the Doom franchise, has undergone substantial layoffs, leaving many employees and observers concerned about the company's future and the viability of its proprietary id Tech engine. The cuts, which occurred on the morning of July 6, saw roughly half of the studio's staff invited to a brief conference call to learn their roles had been eliminated.
Studio head Marty Stratton informed affected employees that the layoffs were not a reflection of their performance but part of broader reductions across Xbox, affecting approximately 3,200 roles over the next year. These layoffs significantly impacted id Software's office in Richardson, Texas, where 96 employees were let go as part of 158 layoffs at ZeniMax Media subsidiaries in the state. Even long-tenured employees, such as designer Jerry Keehan who worked on Doom 3, were among those laid off.
The scale of the cuts has raised serious questions about the studio's capacity to develop future titles and maintain its core technologies. Key positions were eliminated, and entire teams were reportedly decimated. Notably, the team responsible for the id Tech engine, which has powered the Doom series for years, appears to have been severely impacted, with sources indicating only one employee remains from that department. Developers have expressed concern that the institutional knowledge required to maintain and update the engine is now lost, potentially rendering the technology defunct.
This situation also has implications for other studios that rely on id Tech. MachineGames, currently developing a new Wolfenstein title, utilizes a branch of the engine. The layoffs have created uncertainty about how MachineGames will access future tech improvements from id Software and prevent existing advancements from going to waste.
With the recent release of the Doom: The Dark Ages expansion, Revelations, id Software reportedly has no new games officially greenlit. While an incubation project codenamed "Fury," a first-person melee action game inspired by John Wick, is in development, its concept has undergone numerous iterations and remains uncertain. Plans for potential multiplayer DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages are also unclear.
Microsoft, through a memo from Jill Braff, president of Bethesda and casual games, stated a shift towards focusing on "strongest franchises" and a unified content roadmap. However, it remains unclear if Doom is considered one such franchise, and even if it is, the current state of id Software raises doubts about its ability to lead the series. The recent launch of Doom: The Dark Ages saw significant player engagement via Game Pass, but its sales figures across platforms have been modest, leading some developers to feel that delivering successful titles for the subscription service has paradoxically led to their dismissal amid strategic shifts.