id Software, the legendary studio that essentially birthed the first-person shooter genre, is currently reeling after a staggering 136 of its 185 developers were laid off by Microsoft. The cuts represent the fifth round of mass layoffs at the publisher since its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and according to those inside the studio, the impact on one of gaming's most iconic teams has been devastating.

Quick Facts

  • Total Layoffs: 136 of 185 staff members at id Software.
  • Recent Success: Doom: The Dark Ages was the studio's biggest launch in history (2025), and the recent Revelation DLC is among 2026's highest-rated releases.
  • Corporate Context: This marks the fifth round of layoffs under Microsoft since the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Speaking to Gamedeveloper, an unnamed source at the studio expressed deep frustration with the company's management, noting that Microsoft did not even wait to evaluate the performance of their latest work before moving forward with the staff reductions. "They didn't even wait to see if the product is successful before they got rid of the team," the developer said. "There are no benefits to being owned by Microsoft. In fact, they have destroyed immense amounts of value that I don't even think that they're aware of."

The timing of these cuts is particularly stark. The Revelation DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages has garnered rave reviews and is currently one of the top-rated releases of 2026 on Opencritic. Despite this critical and commercial momentum, and reports that Xbox has been pushing Bethesda to prioritize more Doom titles, the studio has been relegated to what former staff describe as "support studio size."

The sentiment among the affected staff is one of profound disillusionment. One source told Gamedeveloper that putting out a "good product" now offers zero protection against losing one's job in the current industry climate. "Great job Microsoft," one former id Software artist remarked, describing the current corporate strategy as "nuking a team into the dirt."

This news arrives as industry-wide instability continues to claim veteran talent. Ubisoft is currently in the process of letting go of 51 developers at Ubisoft Barcelona, coinciding with the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. For a studio with the historical significance of id Software, which has maintained a reputation for excellence without major missteps for years, the loss of 136 developers represents the potential erasure of a massive amount of institutional knowledge and creative expertise.