Doom co-creator Romero on Xbox cuts: preserve id Software’s history
▼ Summary
– Xbox’s division-wide layoffs have hit id Software hard as it launches expansion-sized DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages.
– Doom co-creator John Romero expressed sympathy for affected id Software employees, noting the pain of leaving a place tied to one’s work and history.
– Romero praised id Software’s recent work on Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein for showing care and respect for those franchises.
– He emphasized the importance of preserving id Software’s history, stating he has saved early materials from 1990-1996 that id itself may no longer have.
– Romero, whose own studio faced layoffs in 2024, believes the games industry is experiencing a worse crash than the 1980s.
Xbox’s recent company-wide layoffs have sent shockwaves through the industry, and id Software , the legendary studio behind Doom , has been hit especially hard at a pivotal moment. The cuts coincide with the launch of The Dark Ages’ expansion-sized DLC, casting a shadow over what should be a celebratory milestone. Now, Doom co-creator and id Software co-founder John Romero has spoken out.
“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,” Romero wrote on Bluesky. He praised the studio’s continued excellence on franchises like Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein , the latter now handled by MachineGames , long after his own departure. “The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people.”
Beyond expressing empathy, Romero stressed the urgent need to preserve id Software’s legacy amid rumors that id Tech , the engine powering many of its iconic titles , could face an uncertain future. “id’s history is critically important to the history of games. I’ve preserved id’s complete early history from our start at Softdisk through to August 6, 1996, including materials and assets that, as far as I know, id itself no longer has. I hope someone is doing the same for the company’s ongoing legacy , the work, code, assets, stories, and the people behind them.”
Romero’s own studio, Romero Games, faced major upheaval and layoffs about a year ago, though reports from late 2025 indicated its new project , an Elden Ring-inspired shooter , is still in development. Still, both he and his wife believe the games industry is enduring a “crashier” downturn than the one that devastated the market in the 1980s.
(Source: Eurogamer.net)
