Laid-off id Software artist says Microsoft is ‘nuking the team into the dirt’ and is now the size of a ‘support studio’
Microsoft's Xbox division eliminated 136 positions at id Software, the studio responsible for the Doom franchise, as part of a broader restructuring effort. The layoffs occurred shortly after the studio's release of a substantial expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages, a major title representing the studio's current output.
Laid-off VFX artist Derek Best described the cuts as severe, noting the visual effects team was reduced to a single artist without lead or producer support, and that engine programmers responsible for significant technical improvements were terminated. Best characterised the downsizing as reducing id Software from a development studio to support-level size, and lamented the loss of accumulated technical expertise and infrastructure improvements.
- Microsoft laid off 136 id Software employees, including the entire VFX team except one artist and key engine programmers.
- The reductions occurred immediately after the studio shipped a major Doom expansion, raising concerns about lost institutional knowledge and capability.