Because apparently we haven’t milked this franchise enough yet, id Software was working on some new projects before the latest round of layoffs hit, leaving the studio in a precarious state. The cuts, which affected over half of the staff, have put the future of some exciting ideas in jeopardy. I mean, who needs a fully staffed game development studio when you can have a skeleton crew and a bunch of abandoned projects, right? It’s not like that’s a recipe for disaster or anything.
The Layoffs: Because Who Needs Talent Anyway?
id Software, the legendary studio behind Doom and other iconic games, was allegedly “toying with different game ideas” before Microsoft decided to lay off over half of the studio. Because, you know, that’s exactly what you do when you have a talented team of developers – you cut them loose and hope for the best. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the studio was working on a new Perfect Dark game, which was probably going to be a huge hit and make all the money. Nope, that had nothing to do with it. Some executive somewhere got a bonus for this, I’m sure.
According to reports, 136 full-time employees, including 40 remote workers, were let go, leaving the studio with a “support size” team. That’s just a fancy way of saying they’re not sure what they’re doing anymore. A WARN Notice filed in Texas confirmed that XBOX subsidiary ZeniMax Media laid off 158 people in the state, because who needs that many employees when you can have a few dozen and a bunch of contractors?
The Projects: What Could Have Been
id Software had some exciting projects in the works before the layoffs, including a John Wick-inspired game called Fury, a new Perfect Dark game (which, ironically, was also killed by XBOX layoffs), and a potential multiplayer/co-op version of Doom. Because who doesn’t love a good multiplayer game, right? It’s not like we’ve seen that idea done to death or anything. Another day, another roadmap, and another set of broken promises to gamers.
The reports suggest that the outlook is grim for the studio, with one laid-off worker telling GamesBeat, “I’m not convinced there is a viable way forward.” Well, that’s just peachy. Another worker lamented the loss of talent and said, “I have no regrets in the technology that we made, and the games that we released.” Yeah, because that’s exactly what you want to hear from a laid-off employee – that they’re proud of what they did, but also aware that the studio is probably doomed.
The Future: Uncertain, But Probably Not Great
After the dust settles, it’s not clear which game, if any, the remaining team can do after staff cuts have reduced the number of workers at id Software by over half. I mean, it’s not like they can just magic up a new game with a skeleton crew or anything. Live-service enthusiasts are probably preparing the candles and summoning circle, ready to descend upon the studio and demand more content, more DLCs, and more microtransactions. Because that’s exactly what id Software needs right now – more pressure to churn out crap.
Nature is healing, and by that, I mean the gaming industry is slowly imploding under the weight of its own incompetence. Shareholders rejoice, because who needs talented developers when you can have a bunch of bean counters and marketing nonsense? The PS2 memory card community is devastated, I’m sure. At this point, even the loading screens have lore, and I’m starting to think that’s all we’re going to get from id Software for a while.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
