- Primary Subject: id Software Layoffs and Studio Stability (DOOM: The Dark Ages Context)
- Key Update: Covers Hugo Martin’s response to concerns about id Software following Microsoft layoffs, reaffirming studio stability, team size consistency with DOOM (2016), and ongoing idTech development.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: July 17, 2026
- Quick Answer: The piece argues that despite concerns triggered by Microsoft’s restructuring, id Software remains operationally stable, with leadership pushing back on claims of decline and emphasizing continuity in team size, engine development, and ongoing AAA production capacity.
id Software has moved to calm fears following Microsoft's recent layoffs, pushing back against claims that the studio has been "nerfed into the ground."
DOOM: The Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin says the team remains intact, idTech is still actively supported, and the studio is now roughly the same size it was when it created 2016's DOOM.
Is id Software Really In Trouble?
During a recent livestream, Martin directly addressed the speculation surrounding the studio's future.
"There have been reports that we've been nerfed into the ground and that's not true," he said, adding that id Software is currently about the same size as it was during the development of 2016's DOOM.
He also emphasized that the idTech engine remains "very much alive," with engineers continuing to work on it across both id Software and MachineGames.
The comments come after weeks of uncertainty following Microsoft's sweeping restructuring, which cast a long shadow over its gaming studios.
Reports that id Software had been hit particularly hard quickly snowballed into fears that one of gaming's most respected FPS studios had been left a shadow of its former self.
Martin's response is the strongest indication yet that id Software still sees itself as a fully operational AAA studio rather than one being folded into a support role.
It's an interesting way of framing the discussion - rather than defending today's headcount, Martin pointed to a moment when id Software was arguably at its creative peak.
That doesn't necessarily answer every question, however. Much of the conversation surrounding the layoffs has centered less on how many people left and more on exactly who walked out the door.
Reports and community discussions have suggested several senior developers were among those who departed, raising concerns that experience and institutional knowledge may have been lost even if overall staffing remains healthy.
id Software has not publicly detailed which positions were impacted. It's also worth zooming out for a moment - AAA development has become a much heavier lift since 2016, demanding larger teams, longer schedules, and more specialized expertise.
Returning to the headcount of DOOM (2016) doesn't automatically mean future projects will follow the same scope or development model.
Meanwhile, recent reports suggest Microsoft's Bethesda studios could become more collaborative following the restructuring, with franchises such as DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein reportedly remaining key priorities.
If that proves to be the case, id Software's future may involve working more closely alongside sister studios while continuing to lead development on its own flagship series.
For now, Martin is pushing back against the doom-and-gloom surrounding id Software - and doing so in unusually direct terms.
Whether that reassurance is enough will ultimately depend on what the team delivers next.
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