Doom Developer Harshly Criticizes Microsoft: "They Don't Understand the Art of Game Development"

Chris Hays stated that after Microsoft's July layoffs, the studio's staff is smaller than during the development of Doom 2016, and now only allows for projects of the Xbox 360 era.

In July, Microsoft conducted layoffs at id Software, and the consequences of the decision continue to cause dissatisfaction within the studio. Doom programmer Chris Hays harshly criticized the Xbox owners, stating that the company does not understand the art of game development.

In the podcast "Auf ein Bier," Hays said that after the layoffs, creating large AAA games has become almost impossible. Some departments were completely devastated, and important specialists for game development were lost.

Management is trying to reassure employees, saying that id Software will continue to work on its usual projects. Hays does not believe this. According to him, managers received strict instructions on what they are allowed to say. The purpose of such statements is to prevent panic among the remaining employees and their departure.

Currently, id Software has fewer people working than during the development of Doom 2016. According to Hays, current resources are only enough for a relatively small single-player game on the level of Xbox 360 era projects. Creating anything larger with the current team will be impossible.