A fresh round of cuts has struck id Software, the studio behind the Doom franchise, amid sweeping layoffs across Microsoft's Xbox division. The studio is said to have reduced its workforce by roughly 50 percent, a figure that could translate to more than 90 positions eliminated.
The quality assurance department appears to be among the hardest-hit areas in this restructuring, pointing to a notable disruption in internal development and testing pipelines for upcoming projects. It remains unclear how many titles currently in production could be affected by the reduction, or whether Microsoft intends to rebuild the remaining team through new hires in the near term.
Founded in the early 1990s, id Software helped define the first-person shooter genre with titles like Doom and Quake before becoming part of Bethesda and later joining Xbox Game Studios following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media. In recent years, the studio has played a central role in reviving the Doom franchise, delivering titles such as Doom Eternal and its most recent installment, Doom: The Dark Ages.
This reduction is part of a broader wave of layoffs that has swept through several studios under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella in recent weeks, reflecting an operational realignment following Microsoft's consolidation of its internal development portfolio. The specific impact on id Software's future plans, including potential sequels or new projects, has not been publicly detailed by the company.
Microsoft has not issued official statements confirming exact layoff numbers within id Software, leaving the full scope of the restructuring without a definitive count from the company itself. Further details on how these cuts will affect the studio's projects in development are expected to emerge in the coming days.