Update: 136 workers have been laid off at id Software
The news comes with Xbox preparing to 'reset' its video game division by eliminating 3,200 roles.
Update: The official id Software account offered this statement on X today:
"Thank you for all the support this week. 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."
Update: A WARN Notice filed in Texas has confirmed that Xbox subsidiary ZeniMax Media has laid off 158 people in the U.S. state.
The document, sent to Game Developer upon request by the Texas Workforce Commission, states that 96 of those redundancies are being made at the office of id Software in Richardson, Texas. 40 remote workers reporting into that location have also been let go—indicating 136 roles have been eliminated in total.
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The remaining 22 layoffs have been made at Bethesda Game Studios' office in Austin.
Out of those 158 workers being laid off in Texas, 146 are represented by labor union Communications Workers of America.
Original story: Doom: The Dark Ages developer id Software has reportedly been gutted during the latest round of mass layoffs at Xbox.
Multiple anonymous sources have told Game Developer that around 50 percent of employees at the Texas-based studio have been laid off. One person claimed that equates to over 90 redundancies.
Another source told Game Developer the studio's QA department has been decimated by the cuts. One laid off worker posting publicly on Linkedin corroborated those claims and expressed anger at the studio being torn apart in service of "another 'reorganization' of assets."
It's currently unclear how many of the 100-plus union members at id Software have been ousted.
The news comes just hours after Xbox confirmed it would be eliminating 3,200 roles across its video game division over the next fiscal year—starting with 1,600 cuts this week.
In an internal email obtained by IGN, Bethesda president Jill Braff said the company—which is a sibling studio of id Software and others under ZeniMax—is being restructured around its biggest franchises.
"To best position Bethesda for future growth, we are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what's next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole," reads the email.
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A source familiar with the situation has corroborated the contents of Braff's email and explained Bethesda will now be laser focused on Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake. They said Bethesda intends to make it easier for its development teams to collaborate but noted it will not be shuttering any existing studios.
Game Developer has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
If you're an Xbox employee impacted by this story and would like to share your views confidentially, you can email our news editor Chris Kerr or contact him on Signal (kerrblimey.43).
Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton.
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