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After being laid off by Microsoft, former Doom devs found new Smash TV-influenced FPS studio that isn’t “subject to investor demands”
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
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.
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In short
- 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.
How this story developed
- 52 minutes ago Twenty former id Software staff who were laid off by Microsoft have founded Hidden Horses, an employee-owned studio, and are developing Danger Pay, a single-player first-person shooter.
- 58 minutes ago 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.
- PC Gamer Former id Software developers form their own employee-owned shooter studio in the wake of Microsoft's mass layoffs
- 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”
- GamesRadar+ Laid off Id Software devs form their own studio and don't hold back in their announcement
Full account
Around 20 former id Software developers have formed Hidden Horses, an employee-owned studio, after Microsoft’s July 2026 job cuts at the Doom developer. The new team says its members have worked together for years and want to continue making games as a group. The reports put the number of id staff laid off at 136, described as roughly half the studio by its leadership.
Hidden Horses’ first planned game is Danger Pay, a single-player arena shooter built around a violent televised competition. The founders cite the arcade game Smash TV and the dystopian story The Running Man as influences. They describe their aim as making old-school, gameplay-focused shooters, and say they plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project.
The studio says it is owned by its developers and governed democratically, with members holding shares and leaders elected when needed. Co-founder Andrew Willis has said this structure is intended to give staff a say in the company’s direction and to put the long-term health of the studio ahead of rapid growth or investor returns. The founders also say they want to avoid chasing trends or designing games by focus group.
The reports describe the layoffs’ personal impact through accounts from former id developers, including shock at losing their jobs, distress at being separated from colleagues and worries about family finances. They also frame the launch of Hidden Horses as a way for some of the affected team to keep working together. The studio has not, in the material provided, outlined a release date or detailed development schedule for Danger Pay.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The reports use slightly different figures: one says Microsoft laid off around 100 id developers, while the others cite 136; the latter figure is attributed to reporting by Game Developer, and one report says it was about half the studio.
The first report focuses on Hidden Horses’ ownership model and Willis’s comments about investor demands, flat management and avoiding trend-led design. The second foregrounds the studio announcement, its stated experience and the planned Kickstarter. The third gives more space to employees’ accounts of the emotional and financial effects of the layoffs.
The sources vary in how they describe the planned game: the first calls it a single-player FPS, the second a single-player arena shooter, and the third’s supplied text concentrates on the studio’s formation and staff experiences.
Coverage · 3 sources
- Rock Paper ShotgunAfter being laid off by Microsoft, former Doom devs found new Smash TV-influenced FPS studio that isn’t “subject to investor demands”
- PC GamerFormer id Software developers form their own employee-owned shooter studio in the wake of Microsoft's mass layoffs
- GamesRadar+Laid off Id Software devs form their own studio and don't hold back in their announcement
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