"id is essentially dead": Concerns grow that id Software could become support studio
The latest round of layoffs has devastated people working at Xbox Game Studios. Not even big names like Bethesda and Activision/Blizzard were safe from the job cuts. Sadly, this unfortunate list also includes id Software, a legendary studio known for Doom, Quake, and more. The situation at id Software is reportedly so dire that some people are concerned about the studio potentially transforming into a support studio.
Per reports circulating online, id Software lost around 95 employees, which is around half the size of the studio. The major hits have been taken by technical roles, including programmers, testers, people responsible for making tools, etc. Even veteran developers who’ve been at the studio for more than a decade have been let go.
In essence, id Software is reportedly now left mainly with leadership and art/desin, per quotes collected by industry veteran George Broussard. George also speculates that "id is essentially dead" and now seems like “a support team for Bethesda/others”.
If true, this would mean that id Software’s internal operations, including the development and support of its in-house id Tech engine, would be severely impacted. The studio might even drop id Tech for other engines like Unreal Engine, as has been done by CD Projekt Red and Halo Studios.
This is also pretty bad news for the development of id Software’s own franchises, including Doom. Going forward, Xbox will reportedly focus more on developing and releasing titles from its big/iconic franchises like Halo, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and more. We are confused as to how Microsoft wants to accomplish this if the very people making these games are getting fired.
For id Software, the future seems uncertain at this point. The studio just released Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations, an expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages. This could be the last project we could see come out of id Software for a while.
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