# After being laid off by Microsoft, former Doom devs found new Smash TV-influenced FPS studio that isn’t “subject to investor demands”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/after-being-laid-off-by-microsoft-former-doom-devs-found-new-smash-tv-influenced-fps-studio-that-isnt-subject-to-investor-demands/
- Published: 2026-11-11T20:12:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T20:18:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Rock Paper Shotgun
- Original article: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/after-being-laid-off-by-microsoft-former-doom-devs-found-new-smash-tv-influenced-fps-studio-that-isnt-subject-to-investor-demands
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, Software, Technology, TV

## Key points

- New details explain how Hidden Horses is structured and funded.
- Twenty id Software alumni are working on Danger Pay.
- The studio has launched a Kickstarter; release details remain unknown.

## Summary

New coverage has added more detail about Hidden Horses’ employee ownership and working model, as well as its plans to promote its debut game, Danger Pay. The studio was founded by former id Software developers laid off by Microsoft and says it aims to make classic, gameplay-focused shooters without investor pressure or trend chasing.

Twenty id Software alumni are involved, including staff from engineering, design, production and visual effects. Each member owns a share, and leaders are elected when needed; the studio says it does not plan to expand dramatically. Danger Pay is a single-player FPS inspired by arcade game Smash TV and dystopian televised death games, but gameplay footage and release details are still to come.

## Coverage

- [Rock Paper Shotgun: After being laid off by Microsoft, former Doom devs found new Smash TV-influenced FPS studio that isn’t “subject to investor demands”](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/after-being-laid-off-by-microsoft-former-doom-devs-found-new-smash-tv-influenced-fps-studio-that-isnt-subject-to-investor-demands)
- [PC Gamer: Former id Software developers form their own employee-owned shooter studio in the wake of Microsoft's mass layoffs](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-id-software-developers-form-their-own-employee-owned-shooter-studio-in-the-wake-of-microsofts-mass-layoffs/)
- [GamesRadar+: Laid off Id Software devs form their own studio and don't hold back in their announcement](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/id-software-devs-laid-off-by-microsoft-form-their-own-studio-and-dont-hold-back-in-their-announcement-it-really-felt-like-an-attack/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.