Doom Dev says there is no benefit to being owned by Xbox

With studios shutting down and projects shelved to prioritize failing IP, it's hardly surprising that the sentiment among those on Xbox right now – and those that have been released – is bitter resentment. Not only do you have a former Obsidian Entertainment developer calling the Xbox a “cancer,” but a current id Software employee who survived the cull and spoke out through the media.

“They didn't even wait to see if the product is successful before they got rid of the team,” the anonymous developer told Game Developer, referring to the new Doom DLC that launched just a day after the layoffs. “There are no benefits to being owned by Microsoft. In fact, they've destroyed enormous amounts of value that I don't even think they're aware of.”

Doom co-creator John Carmack also said his statement about Microsoft being a good steward of the brand “doesn't age well.”

id Software is now the same size as it was when it developed Doom (2016), despite Bethesda claiming just last year that The Dark Ages was “the biggest launch” in the studio's history. A milestone that was celebrated with sweeping cuts that former VFX artist Derek Best described as “rubbing a team in the dirt.”

“Nothing says business success like dirtying a team”

The main character of Doom The Dark Ages wearing armor and standing in a hellish environment.

In all likelihood, Doom: The Dark Age's day-and-date launch on Xbox Game Pass ate into sales, as Bethesda claimed the game had reached three million players seven times faster than Eternal did. The phrasing is typical of a Game Pass hit – players reached, not sales. And this was undoubtedly a decision that was made completely outside of id's control, for which it has now been punished.

“It feels like we put out a great product and it just has zero effect on your longevity in the business,” an unnamed source told Game Developer.

Paradoxically, Xbox named Doom and Quake as two of the core franchises it wants to focus on going forward, despite laying off 136 developers at the studio. The same studio that launched three games within ten years, all of which were critically acclaimed blockbusters.

But despite the massive cutbacks at id Software, it was reported over the weekend that early development had begun on a new Doom game, although it's hard to imagine there's much excitement for the project in the aftermath of the massive Xbox layoffs and the immense pressure to succeed under new leadership.