Reports indicate that approximately half of the employees at id Software, the developer of DOOM, have been laid off as part of Microsoft's massive workforce reduction.

id Software , which was acquired by Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Media in 2009, has reportedly laid off about half of its employees as a result of Microsoft's large-scale workforce reductions.

Report: Roughly half of the id Software team have been laid off
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/report-around-half-of-the-id-software-team-have-been-laid-off

Doom Developer id Software Reportedly Loses Roughly Half Its Staff To Layoffs - Game Informer
https://gameinformer.com/2026/07/07/doom-developer-id-software-reportedly-loses-roughly-half-its-staff-to-layoffs

On July 6, 2026, Microsoft announced its plan to lay off approximately 4,800 employees, representing about 2.1% of its workforce. In conjunction with this, Microsoft's gaming division, Xbox, implemented workforce reductions across several of its subsidiary game companies, including Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, King, Mojang, and Xbox Game Studios. As of the time of writing, approximately 1,600 people had been laid off, with another 1,600 expected to be laid off during fiscal year 2027.

Microsoft lays off approximately 4,800 people, mainly from its Xbox and commercial divisions, divestes four studios, and reduces its management structure, which currently has up to 14 levels, in order to expedite decision-making - GIGAZINE

This has reportedly resulted in the layoff of approximately half of the employees at id Software, the company known for developing DOOM. Game media outlet Game Developer reported, citing an anonymous source, that 'id Software has laid off about 50% of its employees.' According to the source, the actual number of employees laid off is more than 90.

According to another source, id Software's quality assurance department has been hit hard by the layoffs. Michael Maynard, one of the laid-off employees, spoke about the cuts on the business social networking site LinkedIn. In his post, Maynard wrote, 'Xbox has decided to lay off half of our team because they are no longer needed, despite all the great work and effort from designers, programmers, artists, audio specialists, level designers, FX, technical design and more. I was also part of the team (about 50% of the company) that was laid off today. It's sad, but I'm not too surprised, as I've been in this business for over 40 years. It's just really sad that Id Software, a pioneer and innovator in FPS games, has been pushed aside for the sake of a mere 'reorganization'.'


John Romero, one of the co-founders of id Software who has already left the company, posted on Bluesky: 'My deepest sympathies go out to everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs. I know how it feels to see the organization continue on after you've left. It's a strange and painful experience to leave a place where your work, friendships, and history are so deeply etched. The people at id Software have done an incredible job carrying on that legacy. Titles like DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy to carry on, especially in today's gaming industry. The last few games have been crafted with skill and respect, taking seriously how important these worlds are 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

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— John Romero ( @johnromero.bsky.social ) July 7, 2026 19:51

id Software is a game development company under ZeniMax Media, and Microsoft announced its acquisition of ZeniMax Media in September 2020.

Microsoft acquires Bethesda Softworks, creators of DOOM and Fallout; future releases outside of Xbox will be on a case-by-case basis - GIGAZINE

According to reports, Jill Bluff, president of Bethesda Softworks, a gaming company under ZeniMax Media, explained the restructuring in an email, stating, 'To put Bethesda in the optimal position for future growth, we are shifting from a planning model focused on the future development of each independent studio to a model that focuses on our strongest franchises and determines the best content roadmap for players and Bethesda as a whole.'

Incidentally, id Software has just released ' DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations,' an expansion campaign for 'Doom: The Dark Ages .'

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations - Official Trailer (4K) | Coming July 8th - YouTube