- Former id Software VFX lead calls out Microsoft for the brutal job cuts at the studio.
- He said this led to decades of game development knowledge being wiped out.
- What used to be a major studio has now been reduced to the size of a support team.
Xbox is in the midst of a major restructuring, which has led to over 3,000 job cuts and some of its core studios going independent. One of the studios, heavily impacted by this reset, is the Doom and Indiana Jones team, id Software.
id Software saw all of its coders being laid off by Microsoft, along with 73% of the overall team. Amid this, a former employee says that after removing all its coders and VFX team, the studio has lost decades of game development knowledge.
Why it matters: The id Tech engine is one of the best in the game, providing great visuals along with great optimization. Laying off all the coders clearly means the studio has locked the doors on all that they built over the years.
Derek Best, former Principal VFX Artist at id who was laid off after 12 years, took to LinkedIn to reveal how devastating these layoffs were. He said they erased over a decade of knowledge from the studio’s arsenal.
I’m still shocked at how brutal the layoff cuts were. Collectively, decades of knowledge was wiped out of the studio.
Best revealed that the VFX team has been reduced to just 1 person, and there’s no lead or producer. All the developers who had Houdini knowledge were removed, so all the work put into Doom: The Dark Ages can’t be taken forward.
He took a jab at Microsoft, calling them out for these ‘brutal’ layoffs, and that they will cost the company. He claims that what essentially was a major Xbox studio has now been reduced to the size of a support team
What are your thoughts on id Software losing decades of knowledge due to recent job cuts? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.
Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔
News Reporter
Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.
Join Our Community
