id Software Says Its Doom Team Is Still Standing After Layoffs

Doom: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin said the studio remains roughly the size it was during Doom 2016 and that id Tech development continues across several locations.

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id Software co-studio director and DOOM: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin addressed the studio’s layoffs during a Slayers Club Live stream, pushing back against claims that the developer had been reduced to a small support team.

Martin said reports describing id Software as having been “nerfed into the ground” or “gutted,” with only 50 employees remaining, were “not true.” A Texas WARN notice had indicated that 136 of the studio’s 185 developers were let go, which fueled concern about the future of the team behind DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein.

“We’re the size we were when we made Doom 2016 and id Tech is very much alive and well,” Martin said during the Bethesda stream. The full discussion is available in the Slayers Club Live broadcast.

Martin also addressed the condition of the id Tech team. He explained that the engine’s engineers are spread across Frankfurt and MachineGames, with the groups working together rather than operating from a single Texas location.

“The id Tech is there, the Doom team is here,” Martin said. He added that id Software plans to share more about its future work when those projects are approved for public discussion.

The director also pointed to DOOM: The Dark Ages‘ reception and sales performance. According to Martin, the game was critically and commercially successful and was performing well against its forecast. He said that success mattered both to the employees who remain at the studio and to those who were forced to leave.

“What matters the most is that the games are good,” Martin said. “So we are really here to just play the game now and celebrate the work.”

Martin’s comments do not erase the scale of the cuts reported at id Software, but they offer a different picture from claims that the studio’s engine work had effectively ended. The developer has not provided a full public breakdown of its current staffing across Texas, Frankfurt, and MachineGames.

What do you think about Martin’s comments and the state of id Software? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.

A single-player first-person shooter and prequel to Doom (2016). Set in the dark medieval world of Argent D'Nur, players control the Doom Slayer in a grounded, weighty combat style that emphasizes strategic engagements over the acrobatic mobility of previous entries. The game introduces a Shield Saw for blocking and parrying, new melee weapons, and drivable vehicles including a cybernetic dragon and a massive mech. The narrative focuses on the Slayer's origin story with expanded cutscenes and character development.