A Fired Developer Speaks Out
A developer who worked on Doom has openly criticized Microsoft's leadership over how the company has managed its gaming division, arguing that the tech giant has undermined years of accumulated value at id Software. The comments arrived shortly after a former Obsidian Entertainment employee made similarly harsh remarks about Xbox, publicly stating he doesn't own a single game on the platform.
Speaking with Game Developer, the developer — who chose to remain unnamed — was among the 3,200 Xbox staffers let go by Microsoft this month. He took particular issue with the timing of the announcement, which landed just one day ahead of the release of new Doom downloadable content. That decision, in his view, showed a disregard for the team's work and morale at a moment that should have been a celebration.
The Scale of the Cuts
The layoffs weren't a minor trim. They wiped out roughly 20 percent of Xbox's entire staff, and id Software in particular was hit disproportionately hard, losing three-quarters of its workforce in the process. For a studio built around tight-knit collaboration, a cut of that size isn't just a personnel change — it reshapes what the studio is even capable of producing going forward.
Value Lost, Not Gained
The developer didn't mince words when describing what Microsoft's ownership has meant for id Software, saying the company had destroyed an enormous amount of value built up over the years. According to him, neither the studio nor its employees came out ahead after the acquisition — there was no meaningful upside for the people actually making the games. He also cautioned that the scale of the layoffs could backfire on Microsoft itself, warning that the internal structure holding these teams together is fragile enough that losing this much talent risks causing the whole operation to unravel, since development groups at this level rely heavily on each other to produce anything of quality.
John Carmack's Change of Heart
The developer isn't alone in his frustration. John Carmack, the co-founder of id Software and the creator of Doom, has voiced comparable concerns, admitting that the confidence he once had in Microsoft's ability to take care of the studio hasn't held up over time.
From Cautious Optimism to Public Doubt
In a social media post, Carmack acknowledged that his earlier prediction — that Microsoft would likely prove to be a responsible caretaker of the id Software brand — hasn't aged well given how things have played out.
Disappointment Without Outrage
Even so, Carmack tempered his criticism with a degree of understanding. He noted that it made sense id Software was never going to be a top priority for a company operating at Microsoft's scale, a business worth trillions of dollars overall. He described his reaction as one of sadness rather than anger, saying he couldn't bring himself to feel outraged by the outcome. Carmack also pointed to reporting from Bloomberg indicating that most of Microsoft's smaller studios are effectively being kept afloat by revenue generated from Minecraft, adding that he had no reason to question the accuracy of that account.
The Fallout Extends Beyond id Software
The turbulence isn't confined to id Software or even to Xbox's core teams. Microsoft has also confirmed additional job cuts affecting Bethesda and its parent organization, ZeniMax Media, with the reductions expected to impact 166 employees at the Rockville location and another 213 at the Cockeysville site.
Employees Push Back
The response from staff has been visible and organized. Hundreds of Bethesda and ZeniMax employees gathered outside ZeniMax's headquarters during a lunchtime protest held on a Wednesday, signaling just how deeply the latest round of cuts has rattled the workforce.
Studios Sold Off or Set Free
Beyond the layoffs, Microsoft is also stepping back from ownership of several studios it had acquired in previous years. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed that Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold to outside buyers, while Compulsion Games and Double Fine are being spun off to operate independently. Combined with the job losses at id Software and ZeniMax, the moves paint a picture of a gaming division actively contracting rather than consolidating around its acquired talent.