Oh, the humanity! 😭 Microsoft, in its infinite wisdom (or lack thereof), has decided to wield the banhammer of budget cuts, and guess who’s caught in the crossfire? None other than the legendary John Romero! Seems his upcoming FPS project has been deemed unworthy by the almighty Microsoft overlords. Guess they didn’t think it would have enough loot boxes or something. 🤷♂️
In a statement posted on Twitter by his wife, Brenda, we learn that the funding for Romero’s game has been unceremoniously yanked. Apparently, it was a “strategic decision” made at a level so high, it’s practically orbiting the Earth. 🚀 Details about the game were scarce, but we know it was an FPS built in Unreal Engine 5. So, basically, it was going to be another shooter. Groundbreaking. 🙄
But wait, there’s more! 🍿 It gets even better for the guy who co-created DOOM. Former hard surface artist Christoph Redl spilled the beans on social media, claiming he got the boot thanks to Microsoft’s generosity. 💔 VGC reports that the entire team has been shown the door, posting on LinkedIn about their newfound unemployment. Guess Microsoft decided they needed more time to focus on Clippy’s triumphant return. 🤡
Technical Artist Leslie Stowe lamented on LinkedIn that the whole studio is kaput because of Microsoft. 😭 She’s now hawking her HLSL skills and shader goodness to anyone who’ll listen. Meanwhile, Art Director Denman Rooke confirmed that Romero Games in Galway has been hit with massive layoffs. So much for the luck of the Irish, eh? 🍀
As of now, John Romero himself hasn’t graced us with his thoughts, but we’re sure he’s just thrilled about the whole situation. 🎉 It’s truly a sad day for one of gaming’s “most influential creators.” I mean, he did make DOOM, DOOM II, Hexen, and Quake. But hey, what has he done lately? 🤔 He left id Software in 1996 after a spat with John Carmack. Maybe he should have just added NFTs to DOOM. 🤑
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