Microsoft’s ongoing restructuring of Xbox Game Studios has triggered a new wave of layoffs, this time cutting deeply into the workforce of one of its most storied developers. id Software, the studio behind genre-defining series like Doom and Quake, has been hit especially hard, with reports indicating that roughly half its staff—approximately 95 employees—have been let go. The cuts span across the organization but appear concentrated in technical disciplines, including programming, quality assurance, and tool development. Long-serving veterans with more than a decade at the studio were not spared.
Uneven impact across departments
According to details shared by industry observer George Broussard, the layoffs leave id Software with a skeletal structure dominated by leadership and art positions while hollowing out core engineering and production roles. Broussard characterized the situation in stark terms, suggesting that the developer now primarily functions as a support team for Bethesda and other studios, rather than an independent creative force. If that assessment proves accurate, the studio’s capacity to sustain its own technology stack, including the proprietary id Tech engine, would be placed under serious strain. Some observers have already begun to speculate that id may eventually follow the path taken by CD Projekt Red and Halo Studios in switching to Unreal Engine for future projects.
The future of flagship franchises
The reductions arrive at an uneasy moment for Microsoft’s first-party strategy. The company has publicly signaled a renewed emphasis on major franchises, singling out Halo, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Doom as cornerstones of its forward-looking portfolio. However, dismantling much of the experienced technical workforce directly responsible for producing those series raises obvious questions about execution. In the case of Doom specifically, the recent release of The Dark Ages Revelations, an expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages, may stand as the studio’s last completed project for an extended period.
An uncertain roadmap
Neither Microsoft nor id Software has publicly commented on how internal development pipelines will be maintained in the wake of the cuts, or whether external partners might be brought in to fill gaps. The broader restructuring effort has already affected high-profile entities under the Xbox umbrella, including Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, and the impact on id Software underscores the fragility of legacy teams inside large publishing structures. For now, the future of the studio—and the technology it pioneered—remains undefined.