id Software Layoffs Spark Fears Quake Could Ditch idTech for Unreal Engine

A Texas WARN notice has confirmed 136 job losses at id Software, the Doom and Quake studio, deepening fears among long-time fans that Microsoft could eventually retire the studio’s proprietary idTech engine in favour of Unreal Engine. The filing, obtained from the Texas Workforce Commission, breaks the cuts down into 96 roles at id’s Richardson headquarters and 40 remote positions tied to the studio, according to reporting by tbreak.

A WARN notice filed in Texas confirms 136 job losses at the Doom and Quake studio: 96 at its Richardson, Texas headquarters and a further 40 remote roles tied to the studio. Windows Central independently corroborated the tally, reporting that the total number of workers cut from id Software by Microsoft and Xbox has climbed to 136. The cuts sit inside a much larger reset: Microsoft initiated a large wave of 4,800 layoffs that hit the firm’s Xbox and gaming divisions particularly hard, with four studio divestitures and 3,200 cuts: 1,600 immediate, and 1,600 more coming in the next 12 months.

How the 136 id Software Cuts Add Up

Early estimates from inside the studio suggested the damage could be even larger. Game Developer reported that multiple anonymous sources said around 50 percent of employees at the Texas-based studio had been laid off, with one person claiming that equated to over 90 redundancies. A separate, wider WARN filing later showed the total picture across ZeniMax’s Texas operations, with the outlet noting that out of 158 workers being laid off in Texas, 146 are represented by labor union Communications Workers of America.

Not everyone at id lost their job, and the studio pushed back against the bleakest readings in a message to remaining staff shared with Game Developer. It stated that “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.” The same note added that “we’re going to keep building the great games and tech that have defined us for the past 35 years, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at QuakeCon this August.”

Read also: id Software: Studio Still Has “Crew We Need” Despite Xbox Layoffs

Engine Team Losses Fuel the Unreal Engine Speculation

The sharpest fan and industry reaction has centred on id’s engineering ranks, the people who build and maintain idTech, the in-house engine that has powered every Doom and Quake release since the mid-1990s. Former VFX artist Derek Best, who worked across all three modern Doom titles, said the losses went well beyond art and QA roles. According to tbreak, the VFX team was reportedly cut to a single artist, and all developers with Houdini expertise were let go, putting existing Doom: The Dark Ages tooling work at risk.

Best went further in a LinkedIn post, writing that “writing on the wall is getting relegated to support studio size and moving to Unreal,” basing the claim on internal email and the specific roles cut, and that the “engine team was decimated.” Video Games Chronicle separately reported a claim from 3D Realms founder Scott Miller that “most, if not all,” of id Software’s coders have been let go, a claim that comes as Microsoft plans to restructure Bethesda around the studio’s “strongest franchises.”

Crucially, none of this amounts to an official confirmation that Quake or Doom are moving to Unreal Engine. Tbreak was careful to note that Derek Best speculates id is “moving to Unreal,” though Microsoft has not confirmed any engine change. The outlet also flagged id’s lesser-known Frankfurt studio, which is dedicated to idTech development, as the detail worth watching: id Software also operates a studio in Frankfurt, Germany, focused specifically on the idTech engine, and its status after this week’s cuts is not yet clear: if Frankfurt survives intact, idTech has a future in some form; if it doesn’t, the Unreal speculation starts looking a lot less like speculation.

John Romero and Former Staff React

id Software co-founder John Romero, who left the studio decades ago but remains closely tied to its legacy, addressed the cuts publicly. Console Creatures reported that Romero posted, “I’m so sorry for everyone at id Software affected by these layoffs,” adding that “the people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry.”

Romero’s comments echoed a broader wave of grief from current and former staff who described the loss of institutional knowledge built up over three decades of engine work. That sentiment lines up with what Bethesda itself has said about the franchises it intends to keep prioritising going forward.

Bethesda Says Doom and Quake Stay a Priority, For Now

Despite the scale of the cuts, Bethesda leadership has publicly reaffirmed its commitment to id’s flagship franchises. Game Developer reported that a source familiar with the situation corroborated an internal email explaining that Bethesda will now be laser focused on Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, while stressing that