Microsoft’s recent round of layoffs started as a wave, but has now turned into a full-blown tsunami, as it was announced that John Romero has lost funding for his upcoming FPS.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Romero’s wife, Brenda, said, “Last night, we learned that our publisher has canceled funding for our game, along with several other unannounced projects at other studios.” She continued, “This was a strategic decision made at a high level with the publisher, well above our visibility or control.” Details were sparse on Romero Games’ other than it being an FPS built in Unreal 5.
However, it gets even worse for the prolific co-creator of DOOM. Former hard surface artist at Romero Games, Christoph Redl, took to social media after the announcement to say he had been let go due to the Microsoft cuts. According to VGC, several former employees have claimed the entire team has been let go, posting on LinkedIn that they’ve lost their jobs as a result of Microsoft’s cuts.
Technical Artist at Romero Games Leslie Stowe wrote on LinkedIn, “Today I found out our whole studio is being let go because of the layoffs at Microsoft,” adding, “I’m open for work in VFX and Technical Art – let me know if you need someone who is fluent in HLSL and shader goodness.” Art Director Denman Rooke posted, “Romero Games here in Galway has announced the redundancies of a large amount of staff.”
As of now, John Romero himself hasn’t made an official statement, but we will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds. It is a truly tragic development for one of gaming’s most influential creators and figures. John Romero began his career at id Software in 1991 and is credited for his work designing DOOM, DOOM II, Hexen and Quake. He left the studio in 1996 after disputes with John Carmack over the company’s future.
