Doom Developer id Software Reportedly Loses Roughly Half Its Staff To Layoffs
In the wake of Xbox’s planned layoffs across its gaming division, which will impact 3,200 employees, with 1,600 of those workers immediately let go yesterday, Doom developer id Software has been hit particularly hard. A new report suggests the legendary studio has lost roughly half of its staff.
Game Developer reports that, per its sources, id’s headcount has been reduced by around 50 percent. An affected senior employee corroborated this figure in a LinkedIn post. The studio’s QA department was hit particularly hard, according to one of Game Developer’s sources. Most of id Software’s employees unionized last December, but it’s unclear how many of those employees were affected by the layoffs.
id’s most recent release is 2025’s Doom: The Dark Ages, which was released to positive reviews. It received a narrative expansion today called Revelations. The Texas-based studio, founded in 1991, is one of the most prolific in video games for innovating and popularizing the first-person shooter genre, dating back to Wolfenstein 3D and series such as Doom and Quake. id was acquired by ZeniMax in 2009; ZeniMax was then purchased by Xbox in 2021.
id co-founder John Romero shared his condolences on social media, writing, “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.”
I’m so sorry for everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs.
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. 1/5
[image or embed]
— John Romero (@johnromero.bsky.social) July 7, 2026 at 6:51 AM
The layoffs from Xbox’s massive restructuring have impacted Bethesda/ZeniMax as a whole, from Bethesda proper to its subsidiary Arkane Studios being spun off from the company entirely. Xbox has also divested from Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory. Some have gone independent (Compulsion, Double Fine) while others have been sold to new owners (Ninja Theory, Undead Labs).
Game Informer has contacted Bethesda/ZeniMax for comment and will update this story should we receive one.
[Source: Game Developer]
