id Software's id Tech Team Down to One Person After Layoffs, Report Says
The near-total elimination of the Texas id Tech team raises questions about the future of id Software's proprietary engine, a foundational technology for first-person shooters that has been used in-house and licensed externally.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Microsoft laid off about 4800 employees on July 6, including 1600 in the Xbox division. Id Software's Texas office reportedly reduced its id Tech engine team to one person, per Kotaku sources. The Texas layoffs included 96 id Software employees and 40 remote workers. Other studios such as Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Obsidian were also affected.
The id Tech engine, which powers DOOM: The Dark Ages (id Tech 8) and has been licensed to studios such as the developers of the original Call of Duty and Tango Gameworks' The Evil Within, is now in doubt after the Texas office's engine team was reduced to a single employee. Kotaku reports that the Texas office's id Tech team now has only one member, and sources say it is unclear whether the studio can patch the engine without the laid-off staff. The Frankfurt office may handle future engine work, but no plan has been confirmed. Microsoft plans additional layoffs this fiscal year.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.