John Carmack and John Romero react to Microsoft layoffs at id Software

In a grim week for the games industry where Microsoft laid off 1,600 people (with 1,600 further job cuts hanging over the heads of Xbox employees) one decision stood out as especially egregious. Id Software, developer of Doom and Quake, was forced to lay off 136 people – more than half of its workforce. Read more

It's been two weeks since Microsoft announced 3,200 layoffs and sweeping cuts hit the Xbox division. Not even well-established institutions like Doom and Quake studio id Software were safe - with the first reports painting a very bleak picture - yet Hugo Martin, director on the latest Doom entries, pushed back against claims the iconic FPS developer had been turned into little more than a support studio. A few days later, "current and former employees" are saying they aren't as optimistic as Martin. Read more

Doom and Quake creator id Software insists it hasn't been "nerfed into the ground and gutted" by Xbox, despite reports to the contrary. Read more

While reports about Microsoft's mass layoffs have painted a devastating picture, the company and affected studios like Doom developers Id Software have been publicly trying to reassure players that the cuts aren't the end of the world. Doom: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin has stuck to that line while acknowledging the layoffs during on official livestream of the game's Revelations DLC, which came out the same week 136 Id workers were shown the door. Read more

id Software was hit hard in the latest round of Xbox mass layoffs

"I have been trying to find something meaningful to say about the Id Software layoffs," John Carmack posted Thursday to his 2.8 million followers on X.com: My "Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand" statement isn't aging well, and this is certainly going to dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon next month. I'm saddened, but I can't muster anger or outrage over it. I don't have access to the books, but I suspect that Id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft's perspective. I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios. To continue being produced long term, games need to succeed, not just be beloved. Games are competing with every other option for spending your leisure time and money, and the competition is brutal. You can't rule out the possibility that executives are idiots, but that shouldn't be your default belief. I don't think there is any obvious path that would have doubled the revenue from Id games. Could they have gotten more with a different pricing strategy? Could they have created more things for fans to buy? Could they have cost effectively marketed in a way that reached more players that would have loved and bought the games? Could they have changed the game designs and broadened the appeal to more players without alienating existing ones? Could they have produced the games at a lower cost, faster or cheaper? I really don't know. The game isn't over yet, and I hope the studio rallies through. Id Software co-founder John Romero also shared his thoughts on X.com: I'm so sorry for everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs. I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It's a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history. The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today's industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people. Romero also expressed his hope for "digital preservation" of Id's ongoing history (including code and assets). "I'm thinking of everyone at id today, and everyone else affected by yesterday's layoffs. Romero Games was there a year ago. I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you. "Four Xbox studios are already out the door," noted IGN, but shared some thoughts about the future: Some have expressed concern that id Software would be unable to lead development on any new games in its current state, and that it might be relegated to support studio status. But in a new statement [posted to id Software's page on X.com] id Software said it was now at the staffing level it was back when it made the much-loved 2016 Doom reboot — and insisted it was still capable of making "great games." "While our studio was impacted, those changes were spread across teams. We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for... We're going to keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years, and we're looking forward to seeing you at QuakeCon this August." Read more of this story at Slashdot.