Xbox Was Supporting Romero Games' New Project, But Layoffs Have Disrupted It

Romero Games' Development Team Faces Complete Dismissal

Recently, Microsoft underwent a massive downsizing, laying off over 9,000 employees. A notable portion of these layoffs affected its gaming sector, leading to the shutdown of several game studios and the termination of numerous pending projects within Xbox and its partner studios. One such affected developer is Romero Games, founded by the esteemed John Romero, which is now also a victim of these comprehensive job cuts.

The unfortunate development was initially verified through a statement penned by Brenda Romero, which was shared publicly on platform X. The statement indicated that overnight, the funding for their game, along with several undisclosed projects at other companies, was rescinded by their publisher. This high-level strategy decision was beyond their awareness or influence. Additionally, the statement conveyed that while Romero Games was helpless in altering the decision, it did not reflect the team's high-quality work.

Although Romero Games, based in Ireland, was not owned by Microsoft, it relied significantly on the financial aid provided. This reliance was undisclosed until the abrupt closure. Reports now suggest that the entire team at Romero Games has been dismissed, with numerous staff members acknowledging their job loss on professional platforms like LinkedIn.

Established by industry veterans John and Brenda Romero in 2014, Romero Games employed over 100 developers. The studio's latest release was 'Sigil II' in 2023, an unofficial continuation in the renowned Doom series co-created by John Romero in 1993 at id Software, his former company. The new venture from Romero Games was envisioned as an original first-person shooter, based on a novel intellectual property in collaboration with a prominent publisher.