Doom Studio id Software Says It Is Doing Well After Losing Half Its Staff

Leadership says the cuts were deliberate and that the studio is working more closely with MachineGames on shared engine technology, though further Xbox layoffs remain scheduled.

id Software's co-director Marty Stratton has said the Doom studio is doing well despite losing about half its staff in Xbox's summer restructuring, which came just a day before the Doom: The Dark Ages expansion launched. He argued the cuts were deliberate, aimed at keeping the studio viable across game development and its technology department. Doubts have centred on id Tech, the in-house engine behind the studio's shooters, after veteran programmer Chris Hays said in August that building a AAA game with half the team was effectively impossible. Stratton countered that the studio is working more closely with MachineGames, which runs a separate fork of the engine for its own projects, and that both teams are pursuing a shared technology path that began before the layoffs. Further Xbox cuts are reportedly still scheduled for November and January, so the studio's long-term outlook remains open.