Following a wave of Xbox layoffs in July, lead services programmer Chris Hays criticized Microsoft leadership, asserting that the corporate giant fundamentally fails to understand game development as an art form.
The cuts saw thousands of jobs eliminated across various studios, including reductions at id Software.
Chris Hays Breaks Silence on Studio Cuts
Speaking on a podcast appearance, veteran developer Chris Hays offered a stark assessment of the studio’s diminished capacity. Having been with the team since 2010, Hays argued that corporate management is severely underestimating what it takes to produce AAA titles under the current conditions. The reductions left the developer with a fraction of its former staff, cutting into specialized disciplines essential for modern game design.
“It is hard to make a game that is AAA that’s like we’ve done before with half the people. And by hard I mean impossible.”
Chris Hays, Lead Services Programmer at id Software
Hays explained that leadership attempted to downplay the crisis by circulating internal talking points to minimize employee unrest and prevent further departures. Studio management leaned on comparisons to past eras, arguing that the remaining headcount roughly matches the studio’s size during the development of Doom (2016). Hays rejected that logic, noting that losing entire departments destroys the collaborative cohesion that allowed those projects to succeed in the first place.
Corporate Reassurances Versus Studio Realities
Publicly, id Software attempted to reassure fans that production remains stable. In a statement issued on July 10, the studio acknowledged that while operations were impacted, the restructuring left it at about the same size as when making Doom 2016, leaving them with the crew necessary to build the games and technology they are known for.
Yet, dissenting voices within the studio argue that such corporate talking points are little more than damage control. The cuts followed a trajectory that left foundational teams hollowed out.
Game Pass Metrics and the Conflict Over Sales Expectations
Beyond internal staffing concerns, Hays leveled sharp criticism at the economic model governing modern Xbox releases. Because titles developed under Bethesda and its subsidiaries launch on the Game Pass subscription service on Xbox and PC, a portion of the player base does not purchase the game through traditional retail channels. Yet, Microsoft continues to evaluate these titles against traditional sales figures.
This dynamic creates a contradiction within Microsoft’s publishing strategy. When financial reports flag poor sales under Bethesda, developers on the ground are left questioning what sales mean in an ecosystem where games are distributed through subscriptions. Hays argued that evaluating a subscription-driven studio through a traditional unit-sales lens demonstrates a fundamental disconnect from how contemporary games actually function.
Broader Industry Fallout Across Microsoft’s Portfolio
The restructuring at id Software is part of a wider corporate contraction. Microsoft implemented broad reductions across its gaming division, impacting 1,600 staff the day of its announcement, with another 1,600 spread throughout the current financial year.
In tandem with the workforce reductions, Microsoft began divesting from several studios acquired during previous years, including Double Fine and Compulsion Games.
