id Software Insists It Still Has “The Crew We Need” After Losing Half Its Staff - Is That Enough?

For a studio that practically invented the first-person shooter, id Software has never been one to dodge a fight. But when the legendary developer posted a public statement on July 10, 2025, it wasn't a new game announcement or a reveal of cutting-edge tech. It was a proof of life.

“We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for,” the company wrote on X/Twitter. “The team today is about the same size we were when making DOOM (2016).”

The message was meant to reassure. But coming just days after reports confirmed that roughly half of id Software's workforce had been laid off, around 136 people, reducing a studio that had grown to over 250 employees, the statement raised more questions than it answered. Can a studio truly be “fine” after losing 50% of its people? Or is this a carefully worded attempt to mask a deeper crisis? This article unpacks why the studio's comparison to DOOM (2016) rings hollow, and what the real cost of these cuts may be.

The answer, as always, is more complicated than any tweet can convey.

A Defiant Statement, “Same Size as When We Made DOOM (2016)”

id Software's July 10 statement was a direct response to a wave of reporting that detailed the scale of the layoffs, confirmed by a Texas WARN notice listing 96 employees in Richardson and an additional 40 remote roles. The company acknowledged the cuts but pivoted quickly to framing the remaining team as battle-tested and capable.

The timing added an awkward layer to an already difficult situation. The statement arrived during the release week of DOOM: The Dark Ages expansion Revelations, a moment that should have been a celebration of one of the year's biggest shooters. Instead, fans and industry peers were left parsing corporate messaging while former colleagues faced uncertain futures.

The reaction from id Software's co-founders only amplified the tension. John Romero, whose name is synonymous with the studio's golden age, said publicly: “I know how devastating it is and my heart's with all of you.” John Carmack was more pointed, admitting that his earlier confidence that “Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand” was “not aging well.”

When the men who built the studio express doubt, even the most polished PR statement struggles to hold weight.

The Numbers Behind the Reassurance, 136 People, 50% of the Studio

id Software's claim that the current team matches the size of the DOOM (2016) era is factually true. That game was made by roughly 130 people. But industry analysts and veteran developers were quick to note that modern AAA development has changed dramatically in the decade since DOOM (2016) shipped.

Games today demand more art assets, more systems, more testing, and longer development cycles. A team of 130 might have been sufficient for a 2016 shooter with a 20-hour campaign, but the expectations for a 2025 flagship title, whether it's another DOOM, a new Quake, or something entirely original, are vastly higher. The comparison, while technically accurate, is more of a warning than a reassurance.

Moreover, id Software's layoffs were not an isolated event. They were part of a massive restructuring ordered by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who announced 3,200 total job cuts, 20% of Xbox's workforce, in a memo that framed the reductions as a necessary “reset” of the gaming business. Half of those cuts hit immediately; the remaining 1,600 are expected to follow. Within that context, id's losses represent one of the most severe studio-level shrinkages in recent memory.

There is also a labor dimension that deserves attention here. id Software unionized with the Communications Workers of America in 2025 under Microsoft's labor neutrality agreement, but had not yet reached a first contract at the time of the layoffs. The cuts now test the terms of that agreement and raise questions about how genuine Microsoft's commitment to neutrality really is when hundreds of unionized positions are eliminated.

The id Tech Debate, Dead or Viable?

Few subjects have sparked more heated discussion in the wake of the layoffs than the fate of id Tech, the engine that has powered everything from DOOM to Wolfenstein and beyond. A departed staff member told Kotaku that “id Tech as a technology is probably dead forever” after the departure of key personnel.

Microsoft moved quickly to counter that narrative, telling IGN that “dozens of people” still work on id Tech across multiple locations and that reports of only one person remaining in Texas were inaccurate. The official position is clear: the engine lives on.

The truth likely lies somewhere between the two extremes. id Tech almost certainly survives as a working tool, developers still need to ship content for existing games, and the engine remains licensed to other studios. But the loss of institutional knowledge, particularly among engineers who spent years optimizing the engine for id's specific needs, cannot be overstated. For instance, the engine's celebrated ability to deliver blistering 120fps on console was the result of years of specialized engineering, knowledge that walking out the door doesn't come back quickly. The engine's innovation capacity and development pace are almost certainly diminished. Whether that translates into a tangible impact on the quality of future id Software games is a question that won't be answered until they ship something new.

What's Next for id Software, Surviving or Thinning Out?

The bigger picture for id Software extends far beyond engine debates. Bethesda boss Jill Braff told staff in a memo that the company is “shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what's next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises.” For id, that likely means DOOM and Quake will continue to receive investment. The studio's place within the Xbox ecosystem as a premier action brand seems intact.

But at what cost? Before the layoffs, id Software was reportedly prototyping a John Wick-style original IP, a new Perfect Dark game, and a multiplayer/co-op DOOM title. None of those projects have been confirmed as surviving the cuts. Original, unproven concepts are often the first to be shelved during restructuring, and id's focus on “strongest franchises” suggests that the more experimental work may have been paused or canceled entirely.

The Real Test Lies Ahead

id Software's statement is a carefully constructed attempt to project stability in the face of undeniable loss. But no amount of well-crafted messaging can replace the 136 people who no longer work there, the engineers, artists, designers, and storytellers who shaped the studio's modern identity. The comparison to DOOM (2016) may hold numerically, but it ignores the fact that those 130 people didn't have to rebuild from a smaller base while carrying the weight of a massive corporate restructuring.

The studio still has the talent to make great games. That's not in dispute. The question is whether the remaining team can sustain the same level of output and innovation that made id Software legendary. The answer will not come from a Twitter post or a WARN notice. It will come when the studio reveals its next project, whatever that ends up being.

Until then, “the crew we need” is a promise, not proof. And in an industry that has broken far too many promises lately, promises alone are never enough.