DOOM co-creator John Romero’s entire Romero Games studio has been let go following Microsoft layoffs as Xbox cuts funding for new FPS

GrayChild

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In the wake of mass industry layoffs at Microsoft—which has resulted in the cancellation of key Xbox titles Everwild, Perfect Dark, and an unannounced MMO—the small game studio is said to have laid off all developers working on its unannounced FPS title.

Following the layoffs across key Microsoft developers Blizzard, Turn 10, Halo Studios, Playground Games, Rare, Treyarch, Infinity Ward, Raven Software and more, former Romero Games employees confirmed that the studio has been let go.

In a statement on social media, Brenda Romero confirmed that the studio "learned that out publisher has canceled funding for our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios". Prior to today, it was not publicly known that Microsoft was funding Romero Games' next project.

"We're currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team," Romero continued. "Many of us have worked together for more than a decade, some for over 20 years. It's an extremely difficult day and we're heartbroken that it's come to this. If you know of any opportunities or ways you can help our incredible team, please reach out."
 
Wtaf, its not like he's produces any certified hood classics like he used to any time recently but firing him and his team seems like a bad idea purely for nostalgia-optics reasons.

Now I want to know what the game was 😑
 
Phil Spencer made him his bitch.
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Wtaf, its not like he's produces any certified hood classics like he used to any time recently but firing him and his team seems like a bad idea purely for nostalgia-optics reasons.

Now I want to know what the game was 😑
Technically not fired. They were never employing them. They were funding a 3rd party game and have since stopped. Unclear, but possible they can keep their progress and try to get someone else to fund it.

I'm definitely curious what it is and hope they find a way to finish it.
 
I'm not cheering for them getting funding pulled without warning, that's fucking garbage as well considering they apparently saw something worth funding to begin with, but what "incredible team"? This dude seemingly does nothing but talk about 30 years ago once in a while and take pictures of his flowing mane. Where are these banger games made by this incredible team? Every single axed game has a supposedly INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVABLE team.

This whole industry baffles me. From the outside and as a layman, it seems like an endless money pits of people "working on things" for almost a decade with no product to bring in cash. I just don't get how any of this works sometimes lol.
 
Wtaf, its not like he's produces any certified hood classics like he used to any time recently but firing him and his team seems like a bad idea purely for nostalgia-optics reasons.

Now I want to know what the game was 😑
They're not fired per se.

MS dropped funding (because of course they did) so they're now having to shop the game around to find a publisher. Hope they land safe.

I'm not cheering for them getting funding pulled without warning, that's fucking garbage as well considering they apparently saw something worth funding to begin with, but what "incredible team"? This dude seemingly does nothing but talk about 30 years ago once in a while and take pictures of his flowing mane. Where are these banger games made by this incredible team? Every single axed game has a supposedly INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVABLE team.

This whole industry baffles me. From the outside and as a layman, it seems like an endless money pits of people "working on things" for almost a decade with no product to bring in cash. I just don't get how any of this works sometimes lol.
So he's supposed to say "we're bad and we deserve it"?
 
OD is also reportedly dropped by MS and 3rd party relations inside Xbox was hit hard with layoffs.

What a disaster, man.

Wth is OD even. We saw a leak of it awhile ago and it looked like the dumbest concept i've seen. I feel like kojima didn't have a cohesive plan for that project at all.
 
Xbox is fully transitioning (word chose intentionally) into the soulless corporate monster releasing generic slop it was always destined to be. Like the rest of the company.


He and his wife released Empire of Sin in 2020, which was mid.
They just released an expansion for it for some reason

 
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Romero did two kickstarters and cancelled both, both promising he'd come back with a better, clear plan, and never did.

He hasn't released anything great in decades.

He's a cool dude and made some of the best games ever, but I'm not sure he was going to deliver anything here. I wish he would, though.

Hope for the best for his team.
 
Xbox is fully transitioning (word chose intentionally) into the soulless corporate monster releasing generic slop it was always destined to be. Like the rest of the company.



They just released an expansion for it for some reason

That wasn't romero.

They sold the game with a season pass saying there would be 2 DLC's. They did 1 and walked away, but still advertised and sold the game advertising 2 DLC's

They left Paradox in the lurch for years. The romero staff laughed and banned people in the discords and forums whenever people brought it up. It was a shit show

Anyway, Paradox must have wrestled the IP or something from them as another dev team made the recently released DLC
 
Xbox is fully transitioning (word chose intentionally) into the soulless corporate monster releasing generic slop it was always destined to be. Like the rest of the company.



They just released an expansion for it for some reason

That's... weird. I thought it didn't do well. Interesting.
 
Bummer. I didn't know Microsoft was funding that.

A triple A shooter from Romero would have been interesting even if it would have likely sucked.
 
I would imagine most players are playing dark ages on gamepass instead of steam, so I don't think steam player count is super reliable in comparison.

3 million players in just the first week, don't let that get in the way of some steam concurrent shit posting but.
 
Romero has always been overrated. He was the rockstar at ID, driving the fancy cars. But Carmack was the key figure. Since leaving the studio I don't think he did anything of note.
 
Romero has always been overrated. He was the rockstar at ID, driving the fancy cars. But Carmack was the key figure. Since leaving the studio I don't think he did anything of note.
His level design was very good, one of the most highly regarded of all time and inspired many people starting out, and he seems a good guy, but we haven't seem him have great success running a studio.
 
He's a great level designer. I still have to try Sigil II but the first one was pretty cool. Wonder what they were working on.
 
Romero compared to Carmack is stuck in the past, dude to this day keeps making doom 1993 based games while carmack made insane engines, built rockets and now works at VR.
 
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Romero compared to Carmack is stuck in the past, dude to this day keeps making doom 1993 based games while carmack made insane engines, built rockets and now works at VR.
As Yahtzee pointed out they kinda needed each other. Carmack had the technological skill to make Romero's crazy visions work. While he had the charisma to make them sell.
 
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Sigil has shown that Romero still got it.

A new FPS from him would've been good. Shame that. I'm sure he'll manage to find new projects.
 
Should have made this move before they even got in trouble. Romero is not making another game guys. I don't know how some people still have hope. Guy has been collecting checks for more than two decades to just hang out and inhabit an office.
 
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