id Software Texas Studio Reports 75% Job Cuts After Doom: The Dark Ages Work

id Software’s Texas studio has been hit by major job cuts, with reports saying 75% of its workforce was let go as part of a broader Xbox-linked restructuring. The timing is especially harsh: the team was between projects after wrapping work on the Revelations expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages.

id Software Cuts and Carmack’s Response

Doom co-creator and id Software co-founder John Carmack has now spoken about the layoffs, taking a pointed but mostly measured tone in recent comments. He joked that the “optimism” he once felt about Microsoft acquiring id Software may not have aged well, framing the situation as a gut-check for fans expecting a “founder reunion” vibe later this year.

In his post, Carmack wrote: “My Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand statement isn’t aging well.” He added that the cuts “will certainly dampen the mood of the founder reunion at QuakeCon next month,” referencing the upcoming event where id’s original leadership would have been expected to show up.

While he doesn’t attack Xbox leadership, Carmack did express sadness about the outcome. He argued that for a giant like Microsoft, a studio on id Software’s scale likely factors into corporate planning only at the margins rather than as a core business pillar.

“I’m saddened, but I can’t muster anger or outrage over it,” Carmack wrote. “I don’t have access to the books, but I suspect id Software was a marginal business from Microsoft’s perspective. I believe the reports that Minecraft revenues have been carrying several other studios.”

What the Reports Say About the Business Picture

Additional reporting has suggested that Minecraft income has been used to back other teams across the Xbox Game Studios ecosystem. In that context, id Software’s role appears to have shifted from a flagship priority to a cost-versus-return calculation.

It’s also being reported that 136 employees at id Software are being laid off, a figure described as nearly 75% of the studio’s total staff.

Another piece of the broader integration story involves Mojang. One of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s recent announcements said Mojang will now “report directly” to Xbox, a move that ties one of the parent company’s most successful subsidiaries even more tightly into the corporate structure.

Could This Have Been Avoided? Carmack’s Take and What’s Next

Carmack continued to discuss the situation in terms of incentives and expectations rather than blame. He stressed that games have to perform as products, not just as beloved titles, because they compete for the same leisure time and spending as everything else.

He wrote: “To continue being produced long term, games need to succeed, not just be beloved. Games are competing with every other option for spending your leisure time and money, and the competition is brutal.”

From there, Carmack cautioned against jumping straight to “executives are idiots” as the default explanation, while also acknowledging that leadership could still be wrong in ways that aren’t visible from the outside.

He also addressed why id Software’s revenue goals may have been difficult to meet, saying there doesn’t appear to be an “obvious path” that would have doubled id’s game revenue under the current situation.

Finally, Carmack considered whether alternatives might have been on the table instead of broad layoffs, but he ultimately concluded that he “doesn’t know” if anything could have achieved the revenue targets Xbox wants from id Software.

For a studio with a long legacy, the cuts are clearly a painful development. Still, echoing his own message to fans, Carmack’s closing line frames the moment as not the end of the road: “The game isn’t over yet.”