John Romero Comments on id Software 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.

“The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people.

“A note on digital preservation: id’s history is critically important to the history of games. I’ve preserved id’s complete early history from our start at Softdisk through to August 6, 1996, including materials and assets that, as far as I know, id itself no longer has. I hope someone is doing the same for the company’s ongoing legacy (the work, code, assets, stories and the people behind them).

“I’m thinking of everyone at id today, and everyone else affected by yesterday’s layoffs. Romero Games was there a year ago. I know how devastating it is, and my heart’s with all of you.”

That’s a reference to last year’s cancelation of Romero Games’ shooter after Microsoft reportedly pulled funding as part of layoffs in July 2025. (This was the round of layoffs that included the cancelation of Rare’s Everwild and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot.) Romero Games did not close, and the Romeros assured fans they were “evaluating opportunities” from publishers that had been in touch since the funding issues were announced, but very little was known about the game other than it was a first-person shooter.

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