We previously reported that DOOM developer id Software was significantly affected by the mass Xbox layoffs, though the extent of it was unclear. Some people said the studio might be halved, but it looks like the situation might be even worse.
The website Game Developer managed to obtain a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice filed in Texas, which reports that ZeniMax Media has laid off 158 employees in the state. 22 of them are from Bethesda Game Studios Austin, which works on Fallout 76, and the remaining 136 were cut from id Software, with 96 working at the studio's headquarters in Richardson and the rest working remotely.
That's a lot of job cuts by any standard, but even more so for this particular studio, which numbered only 185 employees in December 2025. Website Aftermath reported as much when the Texan developer announced they had just formed a wall-to-wall union with the aid of the CWA (Communications Workers of America). If these figures are correct, the studio might have lost around 73.5% of its employees, rendering it functionally unable to create new games on its own.
It wouldn't be the first time we see something like this from Xbox. It already happened last year in July 2025's round of layoffs, when Redmond-based developer Turn 10 lost most of its staff and was effectively turned into a support studio for Playground Games. Now, a similar turn of events may be happening here, with id Software functioning as a support group for MachineGames, which would continue making Wolfenstein and/or DOOM games.
There are a few differences, though. Whereas Turn 10's Forza Motorsport legitimately got worse with each entry until it had little to no audience left, id Software's DOOM reboot trilogy was critically acclaimed and sold well enough. The last one, DOOM: The Dark Ages, may have suffered in full game sales because it was put on Game Pass on day one, but that's certainly not the studio's fault.
For now, neither Xbox nor id Software commented on the studio's future. However, if this grim picture is accurate, the newly released DLC DOOM: The Dark Ages - Revelations may be the last project they made as lead developers, a real shame for a studio that helped shape the history of the first-person shooter genre.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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