Doom Studio id Software Co-Director Says 'We're Doing Great' After Layoffs Cut Half the Team

Following Microsoft's sweeping Xbox layoffs, id Software co-director Marty Stratton addressed the studio's morale, telling IGN, "We're doing great." He acknowledged that half of the Doom developer's staff was let go, but framed the cuts as a "deliberate effort" to position the studio for success. Stratton, an executive, did not comment on how surviving employees are coping internally. He highlighted a closer collaboration with sister studio MachineGames, noting both teams are "incredibly talented" and on an "amazing path" that began before the layoffs. id Software's latest release was 2025's Doom: The Dark Ages, while MachineGames shipped Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in 2024. The restructuring reflects Microsoft's broader reset of its gaming division, raising questions about the human cost of efficiency. As id Software and MachineGames deepen their technical partnership, the industry watches whether leaner teams can sustain the creative output that defined franchises like Doom and Wolfenstein.