New details on layoffs at id Software — over 70% of the staff have been laid off, but the id Tech engine will not be abandoned

Information continues to emerge about the situation at id Software in light of the XBOX restructuring. Among other things, it has become known that the layoffs at the studio were far more extensive than initially anticipated.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

• Documents filed with Texas authorities indicate that id Software lost a total of 136 people: 96 office employees and 40 remote workers. This appears to be the lion’s share of the studio’s workforce. According to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the studio employed 185 people at the end of last year.
• Many of those laid off were working on the development of the id Tech engine. The layoffs included two lead programmers and a technical director. Earlier, 3D Realms co-founder Scott Miller reported that the entire or nearly entire id Tech team had been laid off.
• Nevertheless, the portal This Week in Videogames, citing sources close to XBOX, claims that they do not intend to abandon id Tech. The engine supposedly remains a “part of the future” for Microsoft’s gaming division.
• Former and current id Software employees told GamesBeat they were shocked by the scale of the layoffs. No one expected so many people would be left without work. According to them, the layoffs occurred when id Software was brainstorming ideas for new games. For example, the team was considering the possibility of developing: 1) the next installment in the Perfect Dark universe; 2) an original game in the spirit of “John Wick” under the codename Fury; 3) a Western with robots and survival elements under the codename Ironwood; 4) a new multiplayer or cooperative DOOM. At least Fury was ultimately shelved, and it remains unclear whether the other games will be developed.
• The main issue for id Software, according to GamesBeat, was the convoluted communication with Microsoft. The studio allegedly did not understand what the corporation prioritized—high game sales, attracting gamers to Game Pass and increasing engagement, or technology development. Had id Software known that revenue goals were the focus, DOOM: The Dark Ages would have included multiplayer, as the game itself did not generate sufficient revenue, given that a significant portion of the audience preferred playing the shooter through Game Pass.
• Interviewees from GamesBeat admitted that it would have been better for id Software to exit from Microsoft’s fold than to encounter such layoffs. Furthermore, the studio’s workforce may shrink further in the near future, as the fate of id Software employees in Germany is being decided, where labor laws prevent quick dismissals.