id Software was reportedly considering multiple projects before Xbox layoffs devastated the legendary Doom studio, including a John Wick-style original IP, a new Perfect Dark game, a Western robot survival game, and several possible Doom follow-ups.
The details come via a new GamesBeat report from Dean Takahashi, which adds far more context to the recent layoffs at id Software. I’ve already covered the job losses themselves, including the Texas WARN documentation which appears to put the number at 136 people. GamesBeat’s own number is slightly lower, claiming at least 92 of roughly 185 full-time employees were cut, but the report does broadly line up with what has been circulating: id Software has been hit incredibly hard.
But buried inside the report is something arguably even more interesting: what id Software might have been working on before the axe fell.
According to GamesBeat, one of the projects being discussed was an original IP codenamed Fury. The game was reportedly pitched by Doom game director and studio co-director Hugo Martin, and was described as having sci-fi, noir, Louisiana and Chicago gangster influences, along with a modern cyberpunk-like feel. It apparently also had a “Gun Fu” concept, combining gunplay and martial arts, with the report comparing the intended vibe to a John Wick movie.
That sounds absolutely fascinating, although GamesBeat says Fury had not been formally greenlit for production. Regardless, it sounds like one hell of a mixture of tones and ideas.
Another possible project was a new Perfect Dark game. That is especially interesting given Microsoft recently shut down The Initiative, the Xbox studio which had been working on a Perfect Dark reboot for years. According to GamesBeat, id Software had been considering the franchise because it could potentially tap into Microsoft-owned IP that was not actively being worked on elsewhere.
The report also mentions a project codenamed Ironwood, described as a Western-style robot game with a focus on survival, apparently akin to the world of Westworld.
And then, of course, there was Doom. GamesBeat claims id had been considering multiple Doom-related ideas, including multiplayer, co-op, more DLC, and bringing back classic weapons from Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. That last part is particularly notable because Doom: The Dark Ages made some big changes to the Slayer’s arsenal and overall rhythm, so the idea of folding older weapons back into the mix would have been an interesting way to bridge the newer game with the previous two entries.
One of the more damning parts of the report is the suggestion that id Software may not have clearly known what Microsoft actually wanted from it. GamesBeat says one former studio head was confused about whether Xbox’s goal was Game Pass subscribers, engagement time, standalone sales, revenue, profit, or simply prestigious technology showcases for the platform.
That matters because, if id had known the target was raw revenue and profit, the studio may have aimed at something completely different. Based on what Gamesbeat was told, they would have leaned harder into live-service, multiplayer, co-op, or repeatable content rather than continuing to build relatively lean, single-player Doom campaigns every few years. Instead, the studio appears to have been judged by a business model it may not have been explicitly building toward.
GamesBeat’s report suggests id Software was vulnerable because it was between major projects, having just shipped Doom: The Dark Ages and its Revelations DLC. The studio had options on the table, but seemingly no firmly locked-in next game. With the layoffs reportedly hitting departments including design, rendering, level design, combat design, environment art, AI programming, and the id Tech engine team, the obvious question is what id Software is even capable of making now.
That is the truly depressing part of all this. If GamesBeat’s reporting is accurate, id Software was not creatively dead. It was exploring new ideas, strange ideas, ambitious ideas. A John Wick-style gun-fu game from the Doom team? A Westworld-esque robot survival game? id taking a crack at Perfect Dark? More experimental Doom content?
Instead, the future of one of the most important studios in video game history now looks deeply uncertain. Maybe id Software will continue making Doom. Maybe it will be rebuilt. Maybe some of these concepts will reappear in another form. But right now, it sounds like Xbox may have just slashed away not only half a studio, but a whole slate of potentially fascinating games.
