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Doom Dev Tears Into Xbox: “Zero Understanding of Art or Games”
Xbox Layoffs Hit Doom Studio Hard: Veteran Developer Says "We’re Half the Team We Used to Be"
What Happened at id Software?
Imagine you’re building a giant LEGO castle with 100 friends. Then, one day, 50 of them are told to leave—but you’re still expected to finish the castle on time, with the same quality. That’s essentially what happened at id Software, the legendary studio behind Doom, Quake, and now Doom: The Dark Ages.
In July 2024, Microsoft’s Xbox division laid off 1,600 employees (with another 1,600 planned by year-end)—about 20% of their total workforce. id Software, owned by Bethesda (which is owned by Xbox), was hit hard.
Important Point: Chris Hays, id Software’s lead services programmer with 15+ years at the studio, says the remaining team cannot make a AAA game like Doom (2016) with half the people. He calls it "impossible."
Who Is Chris Hays and Why Does His Opinion Matter?
- Role: Lead Services Programmer at id Software
- Experience: 15+ years at the studio
- Credits: Worked on Doom Eternal and Doom: The Dark Ages
- Platform: Spoke openly on the Well Played podcast (clip went viral on social media)
Hays isn’t a random critic—he’s a veteran developer who helped build the games in question. When he says the team is gutted, he knows what he’s talking about.
The Core Problem: "We’re Not the Same id Anymore"
What Xbox Leadership Claims
- "id Software is the same size as when we made Doom (2016)"
- "We can still ship the same quality games"
- "Everything is fine, the studio has a future"
What Chris Hays Says Is Actually True
| Claim | Reality According to Hays |
|---|---|
| "Same size as Doom 2016" | "There’s a reason they say ‘close to’—because it’s less" |
| "Entire departments intact" | Entire disciplines are gone—departments "gutted" |
| "Team cohesion preserved" | "Cohesion between our teams was part of what made it successful" |
| "Business as usual" | Management given "talking points"—told what they can/can’t say |
Key Quote: "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."
The Game Pass Conflict: A Built-In Contradiction
Here’s where it gets really interesting—and frustrating for developers.
How Game Pass Works for id Software Games
- id makes a game (like Doom: The Dark Ages)
- It launches Day One on Game Pass
- Millions of Xbox/PC players play it without buying it
- Zero traditional "sales" recorded
The Problem Xbox Creates for Itself
- Xbox criticizes Bethesda for "poor sales numbers"
- But Xbox designed the system where games don’t need to be sold!
- Hays: "What’s a sale? If you have Game Pass, are you saying poor sales means a poor number of games sold? Cause of course. [Xbox isn’t] doing a ‘games sold’ business model."
Important Point: You can’t measure success by "units sold" when your own subscription service replaces the need to buy units. It’s like opening a free buffet then complaining nobody bought a la carte.
Why Team Cohesion Matters More Than Headcount
Hays makes a crucial point that non-developers often miss: Game development isn’t math—it’s chemistry.
What Gets Lost When You Cut "Just Numbers"
- Institutional knowledge: 15 years of "how we do things here" walking out the door
- Cross-team trust: Artists knowing exactly what engineers need, and vice versa
- Unspoken workflows: The "secret sauce" that never makes it into documentation
- Morale: Remaining devs wondering "Am I next?" instead of focusing on creativity
Key Quote: "If you cut half of a studio and don’t take into account how it’s made, you don’t understand the cohesion between our teams was a part of what made it successful."
The Bigger Picture: Xbox’s "Most Significant Restructure in History"
Timeline of Events
- July 2024: Xbox boss Asha Sharma announces 1,600 immediate layoffs + 1,600 more by year-end
- Same period: Xbox divests from studios it bought—Double Fine, Compulsion Games
- Internal email: Sharma calls it "the most significant restructure in Xbox history"
- Present: Remaining id devs told "everything’s fine" while watching half their colleagues leave
Why This Feels Like "Gaslighting" to Developers
- Leadership says: "Same team size = same output"
- Reality: Different people, missing disciplines, broken trust
- Motivation (per Hays): Stop more people from quitting before the studio collapses entirely
Summary: What This Means for Gamers
| For Players | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Doom: The Dark Ages | Still coming—but likely delayed, scaled back, or crunched |
| Future id games | Longer dev cycles, fewer risks, possible quality dips |
| Game Pass value | Short-term win (free games), long-term risk (fewer great games made) |
| Industry signal | AAA single-player games getting harder to justify under subscription models |
Bottom Line: The people who actually make the games are telling you the machine is broken. Maybe listen to the mechanics, not the salespeople.
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Is Doom: The Dark Ages cancelled?
No. But Chris Hays’ comments suggest it’s being made under extremely difficult conditions—with half the team, missing departments, and low morale. Expect delays or scope reductions.
Why would Xbox hurt its own best studios?
Short-term financial pressure. Microsoft needs to show Game Pass growth and cost savings to shareholders. Layoffs boost quarterly numbers; broken games show up years later.
Does Game Pass hurt game quality?
Indirectly, yes. If "success" = "Game Pass engagement" not "sales," studios get mixed signals. They’re rewarded for retention metrics, not necessarily artistic ambition or polish.
Can’t they just hire contractors?
Contractors don’t replace 15-year veterans. You lose institutional knowledge, team chemistry, and long-term ownership. It’s like replacing a band’s drummer with a session player mid-tour.
What can players do?
- Buy games you love (even on Game Pass) to signal "sales still matter"
- Support devs directly—follow them, amplify their voices
- Understand the human cost behind every "content drop"
Final Thought: Great games aren’t made by headcount spreadsheets. They’re made by teams who trust each other, know each other’s rhythms, and have the time to care. Xbox just broke that at one of gaming’s most historic studios. The games will tell us if it was worth it.
