Chris Hays, lead services programmer at id Software, has publicly condemned Microsoft's recent layoffs, which have decimated the studio's workforce. In a candid interview on the 'Auf ein Bier' podcast, Hays described the layoffs as 'inhumane' and revealed that 'morale has never been lower' at the legendary developer behind Doom and Quake.
Half of id Software's Staff Laid Off
Microsoft's latest round of job cuts, which will see approximately 3,200 employees lose their jobs before the end of the financial year, has hit id Software particularly hard. While no studios were closed, several were sold off or allowed to go independent, such as Psychonauts creator Double Fine. However, id Software remains under Xbox ownership but has lost roughly half of its employees.
Hays, who has been with the studio since 2010, emphasized the devastating impact of the cuts: 'It is hard to make a game that is triple-A that's like we've done before with half the people. And by hard I mean impossible.' He added, 'It's hard to make a game when there are entire departments that are gutted that you need. Entire disciplines that are gone.'
Official Statements Contradicted
id Software's management had previously reassured staff that they 'still have the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for' and that the team is 'about the same size' as when they made 2016's Doom. Hays disputes these claims, stating, 'We're not the same id. We're half the same id.' He also revealed that studio management has been instructed by Xbox on 'things that are allowed to be said and what is not allowed to be said' to prevent internal 'unrest' or further departures.
Criticism of Game Pass Business Model
Hays extended his criticism to Xbox's Game Pass subscription service, which all id Software games are released on day one due to Bethesda's ownership. He argued that the financial reports citing 'poor sales' under Bethesda are misleading: 'What's a sale? If you have Game Pass, are you saying poor sale means a poor number of games sold? Because of course. You're not doing a games-sold business model.'
He accused Xbox executives of a fundamental misunderstanding: 'And they fundamentally don't understand art. They don't understand art, they don't understand games, they don't understand that business model. If you cut half of a studio and don't actually take into account how it's made, you don't understand the cohesion between our teams was what made us successful.'
Echoes of Steve Jobs' Critique
Hays' comments draw parallels to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' famous 1995 criticism of Microsoft: 'The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don't mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don't think of original ideas, and they don't bring much culture into their products.'
Wider Industry Disconnect
In the same interview, Hays broadened his critique to the games industry as a whole, arguing that executives are 'so disconnected' from the reality of game development. He stated, 'They may understand the numbers for marketing and for sales, but the actual reality of what makes a good game a good game, how it gets done, they're so disconnected from that they don't understand what it takes to build a team, what it takes to maintain a team. Failures are important, too.'
Upcoming Doom Release
Coincidentally, Blaze Entertainment announced a new Doom collection for Evercade handheld devices over the weekend. The cartridge includes native ports of Doom and Doom 2, six map expansions, and a collection of multiplayer maps. It also features exclusive gameplay modifiers such as turbo monsters, double monsters, explosive deaths, vampire mode, and increased blood. The Doom Collection is scheduled for release on October 30, 2026, though it's unclear if id Software had direct involvement.
id Software's most recent traditional release, Doom: The Dark Ages expansion Revelations, reportedly saw most of its staff laid off immediately after launch. The layoffs at id Software highlight the precarious state of the games industry, where even successful studios can be severely impacted by corporate decisions.
