Doom creator’s new FPS loses funding following Xbox layoffs

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Due to industry-wide layoffs at Xbox causing a ripple effect of budget reductions, the development studio founded by Doom co-creator John Romero, Romero Games, was compelled to let go of most of its employees because they lost funding for their upcoming first-person shooter game.

The reduction in workforce at Xbox, affecting more than 9,000 employees, has significantly affected numerous video games. Some games have seen a decrease of 10% in their staff, others have lost their financial backing for publication, and a select few have been entirely abandoned as projects.

The withdrawal of funding affects the highly anticipated first-person shooter (FPS) game from Romero Games, a studio led by the renowned creator John Romero, whose name was yet to be disclosed.

FPS game from Doom creator no longer has a publisher

Romero Games announced on Bluesky that their upcoming game no longer has financial backing from the publisher. In a statement, they said, ‘Last night we were informed by our publisher that funding for our game has been withdrawn.’ They are now assessing their options and taking swift action to assist their team.

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The recently terminated project represented a fresh, self-conceived first-person shooter game designed using the Unreal Engine 5. This project was anticipated to be Romero Games’ most significant launch since their 2019 title, Empire of Sin.

It’s been reported that a former employee of Romero Games indirectly suggested a connection between their job loss and Microsoft’s recent round of layoffs at Xbox, stating “Regrettably, due to the Xbox layoffs, I’ve been let go from Romero Games.

A different team member, Leslie Stowe, disclosed: “I learned today that our entire studio is being dismissed due to the job cuts at Microsoft, which implies that Romero Games may be letting go of a significant portion, or even all, of its staff.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that the recent layoffs at Microsoft affecting Xbox, which saw over 9,000 employees let go, seem to be part of a ripple effect. This wave has also resulted in the shutdown of several games, among them Perfect Dark and Everwild, which is quite disappointing for the gaming community.

It’s unclear at this time how many staff reductions have occurred at Romero Games, or if they will continue functioning in any form to deliver their eagerly awaited game.

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2025-07-03 18:48