id Software studio has for the first time commented on the consequences of the large-scale layoffs that occurred as part of the recent wave of layoffs at Microsoft. Despite losing a significant portion of its employees, the developers assure that they still have all the necessary resources to create new projects and develop their own technologies.
In a statement published on July 10, the studio noted that the layoffs affected various teams, but the team retained sufficient numbers for further work.
While our studio was impacted by the changes, they were distributed across various teams. We still have the team needed to make the games and technology we are known for. The studio's current composition is roughly comparable to the one that worked on Doom (2016). We have always been a flat-structured studio where everyone participates in development, and we intend to maintain this approach.
According to a WARN notice filed in Texas, the ZeniMax Media division, which includes id Software, laid off 158 employees. Of these, 96 people worked at the studio's office in Richardson, and another 40 remote employees attached to this division also lost their jobs. According to Kotaku, the layoffs affected experienced specialists and key positions, and some teams were almost completely disbanded.
Particular concern was raised about the fate of the proprietary id Tech engine. Among those laid off was Billy Khan, the engine's technology director, who had worked at id Software since 2010. After this, reports emerged that allegedly only one developer working on the engine's core remained in the Texas division.
However, Microsoft denied these claims. An Xbox representative stated that dozens of specialists continue to work on id Tech, distributed across several company offices, and that information about only one employee remaining on the engine team in Texas is not true.