Corporate Carnage At Xbox Reportedly Leaves Iconic Doom Studio Gutted

The launch of Doom: The Dark Ages has unfortunately coincided with not only news of PlayStation killing discs, but also mass layoffs at developer id Software.

This is thanks to the wider layoffs happening across developers and publishers owned by Xbox Game Studios. These layoffs include, but are not limited to, Bethesda and its subsidiaries, which puts historic Doom and Quake series development studio id Software in a tough spot. Thankfully, the studio isn't being closed, but reports from Game Developer and numerous former employees indicate that roughly 50% of the studio has been laid off, totaling 136 jobs lost (plus 22 layoffs at Bethesda).

According to former employee and Gameplay Systems Programmer Michael Maynard, layoffs were substantial and included numerous designers, programmers, artists, "and on and on." This likely means that the layoffs were spread across virtually every role and that numerous veteran employees were laid off, with Maynard himself having been there for two decades.

It's rather unfortunate timing for the studio as well, considering Doom: The Dark Ages' Revelations DLC just released. Reception of Revelations has been largely positive from the gameplay standpoint, with fans appreciating how the game brings back some depth from Doom Eternal, but reception to the story beats has been mixed at best. Even so, the game and the DLC have both largely enjoyed critical and sales success, though we wouldn't be surprised to learn that sales were impacted by the game's at-launch inclusion with Xbox Game Pass.


The Game Developer report marks a concerning time for fans of id Software, though it is worth noting that most of the iconic team behind the original Doom and Quake games have long moved on. The new age of id was still impressive, though, with Doom 2016 garnering huge praise for its revival of the series and the newer versions of id Tech being as gorgeous and performant as ever.

If even id is being hit this hard, one shudders to imagine how many essential team members are being lost at other studios. Hopefully, employees impacted by layoffs across Xbox Game Studios won't have trouble finding employment at new studios or, if all else fails, banding together for independent projects.