id Software says it still has the people needed to make the games and technology the studio is known for, pushing back after heavy Xbox layoffs raised concern about the future of the Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein developer.
The studio posted a statement on X after Microsoft cuts hit id as part of the wider 3,200-job Xbox restructuring. The message does not deny that id was affected, but it frames the studio as smaller rather than hollowed out.
"Thank you all for 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."
That comparison to Doom 2016 is doing a lot of work. id is not just another studio in Microsoft's portfolio. Its name is tied to first-person shooter history, and its id Tech engine has also powered games from Bethesda sister studios, including MachineGames' Wolfenstein series and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
id says the studio is smaller, not finished
The statement follows several days of reports about deep cuts at the studio. Game Developer reported that a Texas WARN notice confirmed 96 layoffs at id Software's Richardson, Texas office, with another 40 remote workers tied to that location also cut. That put the total at 136 roles, after earlier reports described roughly half the studio being affected.
Those numbers explain why the statement landed as more than routine corporate reassurance. Gamers Now previously covered reports that id Software layoffs had hit around half the Doom studio, a story that arrived during the launch week for Doom: The Dark Ages' Revelations expansion. John Carmack later criticized Microsoft's stewardship of id, saying his earlier confidence that Microsoft would be "a good steward of the brand" was not aging well.
The biggest technical concern has been id Tech. IGN reported that id and Xbox pushed back on claims that almost nobody remained on the engine, with Xbox saying there are "dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations." That does not erase the loss of experienced workers, but it narrows the claim id is no longer capable of supporting its technology.
Xbox's Bethesda reset still leaves major questions
The new statement gives Doom fans a clearer answer on one point: id Software is not saying it has been reduced to support work or stripped of the ability to make games. It is saying the studio has returned to a size comparable with the team that made Doom 2016.
The harder question is what kind of schedule, scope and project mix survives after losing so many workers. Xbox's broader restructuring has already put pressure on Bethesda studios, with internal messaging reported by IGN saying Bethesda will shift from a model centered on each independent studio's next project to one focused on its strongest franchises and the content roadmap that best serves players.
For id, that likely keeps Doom and the studio's technology near the center of Bethesda's plans. It also means the next few months will be watched closely by players and developers who want to know whether the studio can protect its identity after one of the most severe cuts in its modern history.
The studio's next public stop is QuakeCon in August, where its statement says it is "looking forward" to seeing players.