id Software Following Layoffs is 'About the Same Size as When Making DOOM (2016)' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted 14 hours ago / 1,640 Views
Doom developer id Software was hit hard with layoffs as part of the overall Xbox layoffs this week. The Texas-based studio saw 96 employees made redundant, along with 40 remote workers.
id Software has now released a message on social media thanking fans for all the support and revealed the layoffs were spread across its teams and they are now the same size they were when developing DOOM (2016).
"Thank you all for the support this week," reads the message from id Software.
"While our studio was impacted, those changes were spread across teams. We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for. The team today is about the same size we were when making DOOM (2016). We have always had a flat studio where everyone is a maker, and we will remain true to that philosophy moving forward.
"We are focused on supporting each other and the team members impacted. We're going to keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years, and we're looking forward to seeing you at QuakeCon this August."
id Software released an all-new campaign expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages titled Revelations on July 7.
Two of the co-founders of id Software, John Carmack and John Romero, have also posted their feelings on the layoffs that have hit the developer.
"I’m saddened, but I can’t muster anger or outrage over it," said Carmack. "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."
Romero added, "I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It’s a strange and painful thing to step away from a place that holds so much of your work, friendships and history.
"The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people."
Carmack and Romero, along with the other two co-founders at id Software, Tom Hall and Adrian Carmack, will be special guests at this years QuakeCon, which will take place from August 6 to 9 in Grapevine, Texas.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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Glad to hear they're at least the size to still make games! I'm an id fan for life, so I'm excited to see where they go next. They're one of the most important studios in gaming history. I'm at least a little more excited for Quakecon now.
Yes they are safe for now that is, until the next round of lay offs throughout the year..
I doubt they'll layoff more at id when the goal seems to be to have them keep making games. Supposedly most of the 2nd round of 1600 layoffs will be at massively oversized Blizzard, who was barely touched in round 1. They seem to have somewhere around 5000-5900 employees still even after the 2024 layoffs which hit Blizzard pretty hard.
