John Romero's New Shooter Evokes Zelda: Breath of the Wild After Surviving Microsoft's Purge

IGN · 2026-10-30
John Romero's New Shooter Evokes Zelda: Breath of the Wild After Surviving Microsoft's Purge

Legendary game designer John Romero, co-creator of Doom and Quake, is developing a new shooter that has reportedly survived recent cuts at Microsoft's gaming division. In a new interview, Romero draws inspiration from Nintendo's acclaimed open-world adventure The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, signaling a shift toward exploration and player freedom in the first-person shooter genre. While specific details about the project remain scarce, Romero's comments suggest a blend of classic fast-paced shooting with modern open-world design principles. The game is being developed under Romero's independent studio, Romero Games, which has previously released titles like Empire of Sin. For fans of Romero's pioneering work in the FPS genre, this project represents a potential evolution of the formula he helped create. The survival of the project amid Microsoft's broader restructuring highlights its perceived value and potential impact on the industry. As development progresses, gamers and industry watchers alike will be eager to see how Romero's vision translates Breath of the Wild's sense of discovery into a shooter context.