Romero Games reportedly shuts down after Microsoft pulls funding for its AAA game

Romero Games, the studio founded by video game industry legend and original DOOM level designer John Romero, has reportedly shut down amidst the wave of layoffs at Microsoft. Initially, it was reported that Microsoft had pulled funding for an upcoming title. The news broke when former employees began discussing the matter on LinkedIn.

According to former Romero Games employees, the entire studio has been laid off after Microsoft pulled funding for the development of their unannounced first-person shooter. A staff member wrote on LinkedIn, “Today, I found out our whole studio is being let go because of the layoffs at Microsoft.”

Following the news, another employee wrote, “It breaks my heart to state that Romero Games fell victim to the 9,100 Microsoft layoffs today. The best team I’ve ever worked with, and my dream job, gone just like that. It really was a great project and it’s hard to process that it’s over. It’s nothing less than tragic.”

In a public statement on social media platform X, Brenda Romero shared that the decision to pull the plug on funding was made at a high level within Microsoft and was beyond the studio’s control. The team had met every milestone and garnered praise for their consistent efforts. The sudden cancellation came as a shock, with Brenda Romero announcing,” We deeply wish there had been something, anything we could have done to prevent this outcome.”

Romero Games was established back in 2015 in Galway, Ireland, and had grown to employ 100 staff members before its closure. The studio’s recent projects included Sigil and Sigil 2, and the strategy game Empire of Sin. In 2022, the studio announced that they were working on an ambitious AAA first-person shooter using Unreal Engine 5, backed by Microsoft via its subsidiary, Bethesda.

Romero Games has ceased its operations, and staff members are searching for new opportunities. As of now, the studio’s future remains uncertain as Romero Games is “currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support” its team.