Doom creator in talks to revive his unannounced FPS project after Microsoft pulls funding
After Microsoft pulled funding for an unannounced AAA FPS project, Doom and Quake co-creator John Romero has revealed that Romero Games is currently in talks with multiple publishers to revive the project.
Earlier in July 2025, Romero Games announced that Microsoft had canceled funding for the unannounced game, putting more than 100 jobs at the studio at risk. Former employees described it as a “big shock” and stated that the studio had been in meetings with the publisher the day before, with no mention of cancellation.
Rumors began to circulate that the studio was being shut down, but Romero Games denied them. Recently, Romero Games sat down for an interview with Game Reactor at San Diego Comic Con, Malaga.
Romero confirmed that the FPS project was “about midway” done when the funding was pulled. After he contacted multiple publishers, it appears the project may yet continue development.
John Romero stated in the interview, “Well, we’re still figuring out what we’re going to do with our big game. We own the IP, we own the code, we own everything about the game, right?”
Romero stated that multiple companies are still interested in their project, even after Microsoft stepped away to focus on its broader infrastructuring goals. Romero clarified this further by saying:
So we have a lot of companies that are still interested and still working with us on it, because when you develop a game for years and you put in, say $50 million into a game, if you move and start working with somebody else, they get $50 million for free.
Despite the letdown, John Romero believes there's a silver lining to Microsoft letting go of funding, considering the studio has a plethora of assets, mechanics, story, and artwork that another publisher will review and potentially help revive Romero Games’ project.
He further added:
Lots of people want to continue working on something, you know, and even if that doesn’t happen, you have $50 million worth of assets that you can use to make another thing. So no matter what, you are shortcutting the end of your game, right? To be able to get your game done faster, you already have a lot there already.
The project was initially teased in 2022 and pitched as “a new dawn” that marked the studio's push into FPS development after working on Empires of Sin.
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