Credit: Image Credit: id Software
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id Software hit by heavy Xbox layoffs after Doom DLC launch
July 8, 2026·3 min read
id Software has reportedly lost around half of its staff as Microsoft’s latest Xbox layoffs reach one of the most influential studios in first-person shooters. The Texas-based developer is best known for Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein, and most recently released Doom: The Dark Ages.
The cuts are part of Microsoft’s latest changes across its gaming business, which includes thousands of job losses across Xbox and related teams. The id Software layoffs came around the same time as Doom: The Dark Ages received its Revelations campaign expansion.
Around 50 percent of id Software employees have been laid off. The cuts affected more than 90 workers, and the studio’s QA department was hit hard.
The figure was also backed publicly by a former id employee, Michael Maynard, who said the layoffs affected roughly half the company. Microsoft has not issued a public studio-by-studio breakdown for id Software, so the exact final number has not been confirmed by the company.
The layoffs come during a new round of Microsoft cuts that hit Xbox, ZeniMax and several internal game studios. Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs overall, including 1,600 Xbox workers now and more expected across the fiscal year.
id Software is part of ZeniMax Media, which Microsoft acquired through its $7.5 billion Bethesda deal in 2021. That acquisition brought Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and other Bethesda-linked franchises into Xbox’s first-party business.
The timing is especially sharp because id Software had just returned to Doom with Doom: The Dark Ages. The game launched on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and Game Pass.
The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. It is built around heavier combat, the Shield Saw, large combat spaces, Atlan mech sequences and dragon sections. Its Revelations expansion arrived on July 7, adding a new campaign chapter for players who bought into the game’s post-launch plan.
The Communications Workers of America criticized the layoffs. Teams at id Software, Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios were badly reduced by the cuts. id Software workers unionized in 2025, with a large majority of the studio backing representation through CWA Local 6215.
The affected workers helped build the franchises that give Xbox value. The union response also warned that fewer developers could hurt game quality, slow releases and damage Microsoft’s own business over time.
id Software also carries technical weight inside Bethesda and Xbox through its id Tech engine. The technology has powered modern Doom releases and remains closely tied to the studio’s identity as a shooter developer.
There is no confirmed cancellation tied to id Software, and Doom: The Dark Ages remains available on its listed platforms. The Revelations expansion is also live now, leaving players with the current game and DLC while Microsoft’s cuts reshape the team behind them.
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