One of the major victims of Xbox’s “reset” is id Software, which suffered a whopping 136 layoffs—a move one artist likened to reducing it to a “support studio”. This is a line that Microsoft itself has tried to counter, both via official studio channels and a statement given to Windows Central last week. More on that in a moment.
One primary concern was that the studio’s engine, id Tech, would be scuppered in favour of Unreal Engine. This would be a huge loss. As my fellow PC Gamer writer Wes Fenlon described it, id Tech “runs like a greased-up bat hurtling out of hell at a time when its competition is leaning on AI upscalers to crack 30 frames per second.”
Windows Central spoke to Microsoft about that concern, and the site was told “There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations. Reports that there’s only one person left in Texas are inaccurate.”
But now, a comprehensive Game Developer report, speaking to an id Software worker who was laid off, seems to contradict that statement: “They’ve just gotten rid of all the people who could ever fix, maintain, or change [id Tech], so it’s most likely going to end up in the trash can. That’s where I just come back to: It completely feels like success is detached from your ability to keep a job, and I think that’s basically provable.”