Following a week of significant workforce reductions at Xbox, Doom developer id Software has been hit hard. The Texas-based studio saw 96 employees made redundant, with an additional 40 remote workers also losing their positions. In the wake of the news, two of the company’s co-founders, John Carmack and John Romero, have shared their perspectives on the state of the studio.
John Carmack on the Business Reality
John Carmack expressed disappointment regarding the news, noting that his previous optimism about Microsoft's stewardship of the brand has faded. Reflecting on the studio's position, he suggested that id Software likely struggled to meet the high business expectations set by Microsoft.
"My 'Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand' statement isn’t aging well," Carmack wrote. "I don’t have access to the books, but I suspect that id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft’s perspective. I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios."
Carmack emphasized the brutal nature of the current gaming market, noting that titles must be high-performing commercial successes to survive long-term. He questioned whether the studio could have reached a wider audience through different pricing or marketing strategies, but ultimately expressed hope that the team would be able to rally through the current situation.
John Romero's Message to Affected Staff
John Romero, who also stepped away from the company years ago, addressed the emotional toll of the layoffs. "I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on," he stated. "It’s a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history."
Romero praised the current team for their work on modern entries in the Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein series, noting that they have handled the studio's legacy with "real care, skill and respect."
Highlighting the importance of industry history, Romero also issued a call to action regarding digital preservation. Having preserved the early history of the company from its start at Softdisk through August 1996, he urged that similar care be taken for the studio's ongoing work, including its code, assets, and the stories of the people behind them.
A Tense QuakeCon Ahead
The layoffs arrive just weeks before QuakeCon, which is scheduled for August 6 to 9 in Grapevine, Texas. The event was set to feature a rare reunion of all four id Software co-founders: John Carmack, John Romero, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack. Both Carmack and Romero acknowledged that the recent news will likely cast a shadow over the upcoming 30th-anniversary celebration.