John Carmack, co-founder of id Software, has shared his thoughts on the recent layoffs that impacted the Doom studio, stating that while he is saddened, he "can’t muster anger or outrage" over the situation. Microsoft confirmed the dismissal of 136 employees from the studio as part of broader company-wide job cuts.
Carmack, who now leads artificial general intelligence company Keen Technologies, suggested that id Software might have been operating as a "marginal business from Microsoft’s perspective." He speculated that revenues from Minecraft may have been subsidizing other studios within the company. "To continue being produced long term, games need to succeed, not just be beloved," Carmack wrote, emphasizing the competitive landscape for leisure time and money. He acknowledged that while executive incompetence is a possibility, it shouldn't be the default assumption, and he doesn't see an obvious path that would have significantly increased id's game revenue.
He did, however, offer some potential avenues Microsoft could explore to improve id's financial performance. These included raising prices, reducing development costs and timelines, or creating additional products for fans. Carmack conceded that he is unsure if any of these strategies would have been successful, but expressed hope that the studio could "rally through."
Carmack's perspective diverges from that of fellow id co-founder John Romero, who has expressed stronger criticism regarding the layoffs. Carmack also noted that his previous statement about Microsoft being a "good steward of the brand" is not aging well and anticipates the situation will negatively affect the mood at the upcoming founder reunion at QuakeCon. It's worth noting that Carmack did not directly address the potential impact of Microsoft's previous strategy of prioritizing Xbox Game Pass releases over traditional sales for id's games over the past decade.