Following a sweeping wave of July layoffs under Microsoft and Xbox leadership, id Software developer Chris Hayes revealed in a podcast that the studio’s current headcount is too small to build a AAA game like the 2016 Doom reboot.
The Structural Fallout of Microsoft’s Studio Cuts
Speaking on the Well Played podcast, id Software developer Chris Hayes addressed the aftermath of massive structural changes driven by Microsoft and head of Xbox gaming division leadership, including Asha Sharma. Microsoft’s overarching restructuring plan targets roughly 3,200 positions across its corporate and gaming ecosystems, split between immediate terminations and upcoming cuts over the next few months.
For id Software, these reductions hit right as the studio prepared to launch Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations. According to Hayes, the cuts stripped away entire functional teams and specialized disciplines required to ship a modern high-end shooter. „Je těžké udělat AAA hru, která je podobná tomu, co jsme dělali předtím, s polovinou lidí. A když říkám těžké, myslím tím nemožné,“ stated Hayes, emphasizing that producing a title matching their previous scale with half the workforce is completely out of reach.”
Challenging the Narrative of Corporate Continuity
Hayes noted that studio leadership assured remaining employees that id Software remained fundamentally unchanged. The developer rejected this framing directly: „Nejsme stejný id. Jsme jeho polovina,“ he remarked during the interview.”
According to the developer, these internal reassurances function primarily as retention tactics designed to stem voluntary departures among nervous staff, echoing talking points distributed by Microsoft to studio leaders. Tensions rose further when discussing headcount metrics. Leadership maintained that id Software employs roughly the same number of people today as it did during the 2016 launch of Doom. When the podcast host pointed out that the 2016 game’s credits list significantly more developers than current post-restructuring headcounts indicate, Hayes offered a blunt reality check: „Existuje důvod, proč říkají ‚přibližně‘, protože je jich méně.“’”
Devaluing the Art of Game Engine Integration
Hayes leveled sharp criticism at the decision-makers behind the cuts, stating: „Nerozumějí umění, nerozumějí hrám, nerozumějí obchodnímu modelu.“ He elaborated that downsizing a studio by fifty percent without evaluating how games are made ignores the reality of collaborative software development. „Když propustíte polovinu studia a neberete v potaz, jak se hry vyrábí, nerozumíte tomu, že právě propojení našeho týmu bylo to, díky čemu jsme byli úspěšní,“ explained Hayes.””
Shifting Metrics: Sales Figures Versus Subscription Models
Beyond headcount metrics, the conversation targeted how modern corporate parents evaluate commercial success. With subscription services altering traditional revenue streams, internal financial evaluations have grown disconnected from historical performance markers. „Když vidíme finanční zprávy, které říkají, že naše prodeje pod Bethesdou byly špatné… Co je vlastně prodej, když máte Game Pass? Říkáte, že špatné prodeje znamenají nízký počet prodaných kopií? Samozřejmě, že ne – protože neprovozujete byznys založený na prodeji her,“ pointed out Hayes, calling out the friction between legacy retail metrics and platform-wide subscription models.”
