id Software Reportedly Cuts Nearly Half Its Workforce, Over 90 Employees Affected

According to game industry outlet Game Developer, id Software — the studio behind the iconic Doom franchise — has reportedly laid off approximately 50% of its workforce as Microsoft's Xbox division continues its sweeping round of mass layoffs.

Scale of Layoffs and Departmental Impact

Sources told Game Developer that the total number of employees affected exceeds 90 people. Additional insiders indicated that id Software's QA (Quality Assurance) department was among the hardest hit.

Notably, the reports emerged on the very same day that id Software launched a major expansion for its latest Doom title — a timing that has drawn considerable attention and concern across the games industry.

Former Employee Confirms Cuts

Michael Maynard, a former id Software employee affected by the layoffs, took to LinkedIn to personally confirm the approximately 50% figure. In his post, he wrote:

"We built what could arguably be called the greatest first-person engine technology ever created…"

Maynard's statement not only verified the reported scale of the cuts, but also raised serious questions about id Software's future development capacity.

Broader Context

These layoffs are part of a broader wave of workforce reductions sweeping Microsoft's Xbox gaming division. Since Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, multiple game studios under its umbrella have reported significant headcount reductions. The latest cuts at id Software have renewed concerns about the consolidation strategies being pursued by large gaming conglomerates.

For the full report, see the original coverage at The Verge.

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