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Doom Dev Blasts Xbox After Microsoft Gutted id Software With Layoffs
IGN • • technology
Key Points:
- Chris Hays, lead services programmer at id Software, criticized Xbox's management following the studio's July layoffs of 136 staff, stating that Xbox "fundamentally don't understand art" or the game development process.
- Hays emphasized that the layoffs have left id Software with fewer employees than during the development of Doom 2016, making it "impossible" to create AAA-quality games at the same level as before.
- He expressed skepticism about Xbox's reassurances regarding the studio's future, suggesting that management is more focused on preventing further staff departures than addressing core issues.
- Hays also criticized Microsoft's Game Pass model, implying it undermines traditional game sales and reflects a misunderstanding of the art and business of game development.
- The layoffs at id Software are part of a larger "reset" at Xbox under CEO Asha Sharma, involving 3,200 total job cuts across Xbox teams, described as the "most significant restructure in Xbox history."
