id Software Is Already Building a New DOOM Game, Report Says

id Software is already building its next DOOM game, a new report says, despite Xbox layoffs that just cut 136 jobs from the studio. The Verge’s Tom Warren wrote that the cuts have not pushed id into a support role, and that the team is in the early stages of a new DOOM title.

The reassurance comes with an asterisk. id Software had 185 employees as recently as December. It has since cut 136 of those roles, and many of the engineers who shipped last year’s game are no longer there.

id Software Is Already Building the Next DOOM

Warren, a senior editor at The Verge, wrote that the studio has not been turned into a support shop for other Xbox teams. Instead, he reported, id is in the early stages of developing a new DOOM game.

Warren did not name a title, a setting, or a release window. Microsoft has not confirmed any of it publicly, and id’s own statements stop well short of naming a specific project.

A Flat Studio Tries to Prove It Still Builds Doom

id Software addressed the panic directly. On July 10, its official account posted a statement thanking fans and answering the rumors head on.

We have always had a flat studio where everyone is a maker, and we will remain true to that philosophy moving forward.

id Software wrote in the statement, adding that the team left after the cuts is “about the same size” as the crew that built DOOM (2016), the reboot widely credited with reviving the franchise.

The studio said it’s “going to keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years,” and pointed fans toward QuakeCon this August for whatever comes next.

The Math Behind 136 Job Losses

The reassurance followed a rough week. Early estimates put id’s losses at around 90 to 95 people. A WARN notice later filed with the Texas Workforce Commission confirmed 96 layoffs at id’s Richardson, Texas office, plus 40 remote employees reporting to that office, for 136 roles in total.

A December disclosure from the Communication Workers of America had put id Software’s total headcount at 185. Both numbers are now on the record, and they sit uneasily next to each other.

id’s cuts fell hardest on the team behind id Tech, the studio’s in-house engine. Multiple former staff said the engine team was gutted by the layoffs, fueling fears id could eventually lean on Unreal Engine instead.

id Software’s cuts landed inside a much larger reset. Here is how last week broke down across Xbox’s studio system:

Across the whole company, Microsoft confirmed about 4,800 job cuts, with Xbox absorbing roughly 3,200 of them over its next fiscal year.

The Engineers Who Are Gone

Derek Best, a VFX artist who worked on all three modern DOOM games, said the studio had been “relegated to support studio size” in a LinkedIn post published the week of the layoffs.

“Nothing says business success like nuking a team into the dirt and relegating them to support studio size while also throwing out massive technological achievements,” Best wrote.

Michael Maynard, who said he spent more than 20 years at id, called the cuts “such a waste” for a team he described as dedicated to excellence for years.

John Carmack, who helped found id Software in 1991, struck a more measured tone. “I’m saddened, but can’t muster anger or outrage over it,” he wrote, arguing that “games need to succeed, not just be beloved.”

Microsoft pushed back on the idea that id Tech itself is finished. “There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations,” a company spokesperson said. “Reports that there’s only one person left in Texas are inaccurate.”

Doom Has Survived a Small Team Before

id’s comparison to 2016 isn’t just spin. That version of DOOM followed an earlier, troubled attempt at the game that got scrapped, and a smaller rebuilt team still reset the franchise’s reputation.

Before the layoffs, id had reportedly been pitching new directions for its next project, according to a GamesBeat report from Dean Takahashi. None of the ideas had been greenlit.

• Perfect Dark – a new take on the franchise after Xbox shut down The Initiative’s own reboot
• Fury – an original John Wick-inspired game from DOOM director Hugo Martin, built around a gunplay and martial arts style
• Ironwood – a Western-themed survival game centered on robots
• DOOM multiplayer and co-op modes – along with additional DLC beyond Revelations

None of those pitches are confirmed to be the game Warren is describing. id has also fielded rumors since January that it could revisit Quake or Hexen, franchises Microsoft owns outright but hasn’t developed in decades.

Will id Software Reveal the New Game at QuakeCon?

Probably not with a full unveiling, but it’s the most likely venue for an update. QuakeCon 2026 runs August 6 through 9, and id specifically pointed fans there in its own statement. Whether that means a teaser, a tech demo, or just more reassurance is unclear.

Shacknews has reported that this year’s event will lean more toward tribute than celebration, given how recently the cuts landed. Some in the community have floated the idea that this could be the convention’s last edition. Microsoft has not addressed that speculation.

id’s four original founders add weight to the moment. John Romero, John Carmack, Tom Hall, and Adrian Carmack are set to appear together for the first time since 1993.

What We Know

• A WARN notice confirms 136 id Software roles were cut, split between Richardson, Texas staff and remote workers.
• id Software’s own statement says the remaining team matches DOOM (2016)’s staffing level.
• QuakeCon 2026 runs August 6 to 9, with all four id co-founders attending together.

What’s Unconfirmed

• Whether the new DOOM game has a title, setting, or release window.
• Whether id Tech remains the primary engine or gives way to Unreal Engine.
• Whether any shelved pitches, including Perfect Dark or Fury, survive in another form.

QuakeCon opens in early August in Grapevine, Texas. Whatever id Software shows, or doesn’t show, on that stage will be the first public test of whether this week’s report holds up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is id Software Shutting Down?

No. id Software’s July 10 statement said the studio is not shutting down and plans to keep building games with a team it describes as flat and maker driven, even though its headcount has shrunk sharply this month.

How Many Jobs Were Cut at id Software and Across Xbox?

A Texas WARN notice confirmed 136 roles cut at id Software. The same filing shows 158 layoffs total across id and Bethesda Game Studios’ Austin office, with 146 of those workers represented by the Communication Workers of America union.

What Happened to the id Tech Engine Team?

One source told Kotaku that “id Tech as a technology is probably dead forever” now that so much institutional knowledge has left the studio. Microsoft disputes that characterization, saying dozens of people still work on the engine across multiple locations.

When and Where Is QuakeCon 2026?

QuakeCon 2026 runs August 6 through 9 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. This year also marks 30 years since Quake’s original release and the very first QuakeCon that followed it.

Could This Be the Last QuakeCon?

Shacknews CEO Asif Khan told the outlet he feels this could be QuakeCon’s final year, given how thin id Software’s ranks have become. That’s speculation, not a confirmed plan, and Microsoft has not addressed it directly.