Xbox has moved to reassure fans over the future of id Software's technology following a wave of mass layoffs across Microsoft's gaming division. The company confirmed that development of id Tech, the engine behind franchises such as Doom, is not being left to a skeleton crew, directly rebutting reports that only a single person remained in Texas to maintain it. Instead, Xbox says "dozens" of staff continue to work on the engine across "multiple locations", an attempt to calm concerns about the technology's long-term support.

The clarification comes amid broader anxiety about Microsoft's recent cuts to its gaming workforce, which have prompted speculation about the fate of individual studios and their in-house tools. id Software, the Texas-based developer long associated with pioneering first-person shooters, uses id Tech to power its recent releases, and worries had emerged that the engine team had been gutted to almost nothing. Xbox's statement pushes back on the "1 person left in Texas" characterisation while acknowledging the work is now spread across several sites rather than concentrated in one place.