id Software reportedly developing a new Doom game after Xbox layoffs

Despite a wave of layoffs that cut deep into the studio, id Software is reportedly in the early stages of a brand-new Doom game. The claim comes from The Verge senior correspondent Tom Warren, who shared the news while reposting an official statement from id Software following Microsoft’s sweeping Xbox restructuring in July 2026.

The Warren Report

Warren stated that “while the id layoffs have been deep, I understand the changes haven’t turned id into a support studio. Instead, they’re now in the early stages of a new Doom game.” Warren did not name a specific source for this information, and it appears id Software is not yet ready to formally announce any such project.

The claim follows earlier reporting from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who stated that ZeniMax would continue developing its major franchises, including Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, despite the restructuring.

The Scale of the Cuts

Earlier this week, Microsoft initiated a large wave of 4,800 layoffs that hit the Xbox and gaming divisions particularly hard, with 3,200 cuts described as a “reset” for the Xbox business. The total number of workers cut from id Software climbed to 136, meaning the studio’s workforce was hit significantly harder than early reports indicated.

The painful irony is that these cuts arrived at the same time id released its Revelations DLC for DOOM: The Dark Ages. The expansion launched just one day after the layoffs hit id Software.

id Software Pushes Back on Support-Studio Rumors

In response to speculation that the gutted studio would be repurposed as a support team for other Xbox projects, id Software published a community letter. The studio said: “While our studio was impacted, those changes were spread across teams. We still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we’re known for. The team today is about the same size we were when making Doom (2016). We have always had a flat studio where everyone is a maker, and we will remain true to that philosophy moving forward.”

id Software also said it intends to “keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years,” and pointed to QuakeCon this August as a near-term milestone.

The studio’s stated current size – roughly comparable to when it was making DOOM (2016) – is notable given the scale of the layoffs tied to Microsoft’s July 2026 Xbox restructuring.

A Familiar Situation

Doom: The Dark Ages is a 2025 first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks – the eighth main entry in the Doom franchise. It released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on May 15, 2025, with a standalone DLC campaign, Revelations, following on July 7, 2026.

id Software is no stranger to adversity. The studio previously scrapped Doom 4 entirely in favor of a ground-up reboot announced at QuakeCon 2014 – a game that would ship to widespread acclaim just two years later. That reboot was built by a team of comparable size to what remains at id today, though the context in 2026 is meaningfully different: budgets are higher, dev cycles are longer, and the studio has lost significant institutional knowledge along with many senior staff.

The clearest possible window for any kind of announcement could be QuakeCon 2026, scheduled for August 6-9, 2026. The new Doom has not been officially confirmed by Microsoft, Bethesda, or id Software.

Where Does This Leave Players?

The foundation built across three well-regarded Doom titles does give the reduced team a running start. But the loss of 136 staff – including key programmers and QA – means a long road ahead. Whether the next entry carries the same creative ambition as its predecessors remains to be seen. In the meantime, DOOM: The Dark Ages and its Revelations DLC are available now.

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