id Software confirms half its studio left in Xbox cuts

id Software has confirmed it lost about half of its studio in Xbox's layoffs. Co-director Marty Stratton insists "we're doing great", but the number is stark. He also revealed that the Doom developer is now working more closely than ever with Wolfenstein studio MachineGames.

Stratton made the comments at a press event for DOOM: The Dark Ages' Revelations expansion. They were first reported by IGN and then picked up by PC Gamer and Kotaku.

What happened at id Software?

Xbox went through a major restructure this summer. PC Gamer says the company cut 1,600 jobs over the summer, and id Software was among the studios hit hardest. According to Kotaku, the layoffs came just 24 hours before the studio launched its big expansion.

"We're doing great," Stratton said. "Not to handwave the [layoffs] away... everybody knows we had about half of our studio exit as part of that. But there was a very deliberate effort to make sure that we were incredibly viable coming out of that across everything we do, across game development and [the] technology department."

Key facts

• id Software lost roughly half of its staff in the Xbox layoffs
• The studio's Frankfurt office was hit hardest
• id Software and MachineGames are collaborating on technology development
• The partnership started earlier this year, before the layoffs
• Active development on DOOM: The Dark Ages ended with its expansions
• More Xbox layoffs are reportedly planned for November and January

What does the MachineGames partnership mean?

Stratton's most interesting comments were about MachineGames: "We're working more closely with MachineGames than ever. We've always had a very close partnership with them, but I think we're at the point with technology development that both teams are incredibly talented and have incredibly talented engineers and we're really on an amazing path that had started pre-[layoffs]. We'd kicked this off earlier this year."

That has fuelled speculation that the two studios are teaming up on Wolfenstein 3, which MachineGames is rumoured to be making but hasn't announced. PC Gamer points out that Stratton keeps coming back to technology.

Both studios use versions of the same engine. id Software built DOOM: The Dark Ages on id Tech 8, while MachineGames used Motor, a modified version of id Tech 7, for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. PC Gamer's read is that MachineGames' engine programmers may now be feeding directly into id Tech development.

Is the future of id Tech at risk?

The layoffs hit id Software's Frankfurt office hardest, home to many of the id Tech engine's designers. That led to fears the engine could be shelved. Microsoft denied it, but later reports left the question open.

Veteran id programmer Chris Hays was blunter in August. As quoted by Kotaku, he said: "It is hard to make a game that is AAA that's like we've done before with half the people. And by hard I mean impossible." id Software has pushed back, arguing the studio is about the size it was when it shipped Doom in 2016.

The Xbox layoffs aren't over

The cuts that hit id Software weren't the last at Xbox. A second wave in September merged Obsidian into Bethesda and handed Halo to Activision. Kotaku reports that further layoffs are planned for November and January, and Microsoft has also offered a voluntary exit package to more than a quarter of its workforce.

For players, the big question is what comes next for Doom and Wolfenstein. Neither series has a new game announced, but keeping id Tech alive is vital to the technical quality of Bethesda's shooters.

More on the changes at Xbox: Turn 10 merging into Playground Games, Microsoft's voluntary exit offer and Xbox's falling revenue.

Frequently asked questions

How many staff did id Software lose?

Studio co-director Marty Stratton said about half of the studio left as part of Xbox's layoffs this year. No exact headcount was shared.

Are id Software and MachineGames making a game together?

There's no announced joint game. Stratton said the two studios are working more closely than ever on technology development. MachineGames is rumoured to be working on Wolfenstein 3, but it hasn't been announced.

Is a new Doom game coming?

No new Doom game has been announced. According to PC Gamer, id Software has wrapped active development on DOOM: The Dark Ages following the release of its expansions.

Sources

• PC Gamer: id Software co-director on MachineGames and layoffs
• Kotaku: Doom director says id Software is doing great
• Steam: DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Steam: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle