Doom Dev Criticizes Xbox Following id Software Layoffs; Says It Doesn’t Understand Art

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Still-Employed id Software Dev Laments Xbox's Layoffs And Says Making AAA Games on Same Scale May Be Impossible Moving Forward!

Story Highlight
  • An id Software developer criticized Xbox following layoffs at the Doom studio.
  • The developer said Xbox doesn’t understand art, hinting that future AAA games would be extremely hard to make for the team.
  • He also says that the studio now has fewer developers than it did when Doom 2016 was made.

Xbox’s latest round of job cuts has hit over 3,000 developers, and among them, id Software has been among the most impacted so far. Indeed, the gaming giant seems to have completely gutted the studio.

In a recent interview, a current id Software and Doom developer has also discussed these layoffs, criticizing Microsoft for the events that have transpired over the last few months.

Why it matters: id Software has been on a winning streak for a decade, but it seems the team will no longer be the same after Xbox’s layoffs.

Speaking on the Well Played podcast, id Software veteran Chris Hays discussed the team’s gripes with Game Pass and Xbox.

He indicated that the team wasn’t necessarily convinced by the subscription service and the claims of poor sales. According to the developer, Game Pass’ existence practically guarantees poor sales, so the team doesn’t appreciate when Xbox says a game sold poorly.

Elsewhere, Chris Hays notes that id Software is now smaller than it was during Doom 2016’s development. He also says that this means making AAA titles on the same scale as Doom Eternal or The Dark Ages will be quite hard moving forward.

It is hard to make a game that is AAA like we’ve done before with half the people. And by hard I mean impossible.

As per the developer, Microsoft’s attempts to convince the masses that id Software is fine are nothing but damage control to keep the studio from collapsing further. He believes that the company itself doesn’t really understand art.

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Of course, these comments paint a dark picture for id Software’s future. For a team that has released beloved titles like Doom Eternal, this is quite a saddening fate, especially since The Dark Ages was still a very solid title, particularly in the technical areas.

What do you think about Microsoft’s treatment of id Software? Let’s discuss below in the comments section.

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