Doom Developer Id Software Is Reportedly Losing Half Its Staff

While neither Microsoft nor id Software have formally acknowledged the layoffs, one former member of the studio’s staff, Michael Maynard, has echoed the 50 percent figure on LinkedIn. According to at least one of Game Developer‘s sources, that could translate to around 90 job cuts, though it’s so far unclear what departments at id Software have been hit hardest.

Engadget has contacted Microsoft for more information on id Software’s layoffs. We’ll update this article if we hear back.

Like several other studios under Xbox, id Software is unionized with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). While Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement with the CWA meant the developer’s “wall-to-wall” union was immediately recognized in 2025, studio staff has yet to reach an agreement with the company on a first contract. In a statement published in response to the Xbox layoffs, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. says Microsoft “slow-walked union members at the bargaining table” preventing them from accessing the protections of a union contract. In the same statement, Vice President of CWA District 2-13 Mike Davis said the union would demand “immediate bargaining” over “fair severance” among other things.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that as part of the “reset” at Xbox, ZeniMax Media, the parent company of id Software, will be focusing on its biggest franchises — like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein and Doom — going forward. It’s possible that motivated the cuts to id Software, but the developer at least outwardly appears to be already heavily focused on Doom. The studio launched Doom: The Dark Ages in 2025 and an expansion to the game on July 7, 2026. Whatever the reason, the cuts at Xbox aren’t over: While Microsoft eliminated 1,600 roles alongside the announcement that Xbox is restructuring, it still plans to lay off another 1,600 employees over the coming months.