Microsoft began a massive layoff wave at its gaming division earlier this month. This saw 1,600 Xbox staff being let go immediately, with another 1,600 set to be affected within the company"s current fiscal year. Even legendary studios like id Software of Doom fame were a part of this "biggest restructure in Xbox history." However, it seems not all reports about the team cuts were true.
Following the layoffs wave, reports were coming out that said half of the id Software team had been let go. Soon though, more reports came out that claimed the dismissal of most (if not all) coders from the studio and even that only a single developer was remaining in the Texas location, killing the future of the id Tech game engine.
However, today a statement by id Software was published on social media, revealing that its team has remained large enough to support game and engine development despite the layoffs. The studio even said that the current size of the team is at the level at which it shipped 2016"s massive hit Doom, which brought back the Slayer into modern platforms.
Here"s the full statement by id Software:
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.
As most teams of Xbox get hit by layoffs, Microsoft is also reshuffling internal projects. Fallout is said to be one of these. Obsidian Entertainment is now reportedly making a new game in the series (with New Vegas director leading it) as Bethesda focuses on The Elder Scrolls 6.