Xbox Layoffs Hit id Software Hard, Veteran Dev Says Making Another Doom Is Now “Impossible”

Xbox layoffs, restructuring, and studio split have already shaken Microsoft’s gaming business. Now, a longtime id Software developer is openly questioning what comes next. Chris Hays, an id Software veteran, says the studio has lost entire departments following the cuts. He also argues that making another massive Doom game with fewer people isn’t realistic.

id Software veteran dev says the studio isn’t what it used to be

Hays has spent more than 15 years at id Software. He worked on games including Doom Eternal and Doom: The Dark Ages. Speaking on the Well Played podcast, Hays discussed what happened after Microsoft’s recent layoffs (via Kotaku).

“It is hard to make a game that is AAA that’s like we’ve done before with half the people,” Hays said. “And by hard I mean impossible.” He also claimed some departments and entire disciplines were gutted. “It’s hard to make a game when there are entire departments that are gutted that you need,” he said.

Hays pushed back against claims that id Software remains roughly the same size as it was during Doom 2016. “There is a reason they say close to, because it is less,” he said.

According to Hays, remaining employees have also received reassuring messages about the studio’s future. He suggested those messages may be intended to prevent more developers from leaving.

Game Pass is another point of frustration

Hays also questioned how Xbox measures Bethesda’s game sales. Since id Software titles launch on Game Pass, players can access them without purchasing individual copies. “I know that [id has] serious issues with how Game Pass is done,” Hays said. He questioned how Xbox can describe sales as weak when Game Pass changes how players access Microsoft’s games.

The strongest criticism came later in the discussion. Hays argued that Xbox fundamentally misunderstands how large games are created. “If you cut half of a studio and don’t take into account how it’s made,” he said, “you don’t understand the cohesion between our teams.”

The comments lands after Xbox announced 1,600 layoffs in July, with another 1,600 reportedly expected before year’s end. In another news, it was recently reported that Halo Studios was also affected by layoffs shortly after Halo: Campaign Evolved launch.