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The human cost of Microsoft's sweeping Xbox cuts is coming into focus, and one Id Software veteran hasn't held back. In a widely shared LinkedIn post, developer Michael Maynard, who says he spent over 20 years at the studio, described the layoffs that hit id this week as a devastating blow to a team behind some of the best-regarded shooters in the industry.
Maynard said he was among those let go, part of what he estimated as "roughly 50% of the company" cut in a single day.
The post is raw and emotional, and pointed in its criticism of Microsoft. Maynard ran through id's modern pedigree, the acclaimed run of DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal and Doom: The Dark Ages, alongside the studio's renowned engine technology, before turning to the cuts. He wrote that "Microsoft/XBOX decided half the team was deemed useless and needed to be let go", despite the work of designers, programmers, artists, audio and more, calling it "such a waste for an entire team dedicated to excellence for many years".
Maynard said he'd worked at id from RAGE through to DOOM: The Dark Ages, and had been in games for over 40 years. He said the cuts were "not a huge surprise" given the state of the industry, but expressed real sadness that id Software, which he called the "pioneer/innovator of FPS action games", had been reduced to "just another 'reorganization' of assets".
According to reports, id was among the studios hit hardest, with a significant share of those affected said to be engineers, a particularly bitter blow given the studio's reputation for best-in-class technology.
Maynard's post is one voice among thousands affected this week. Microsoft confirmed a major Xbox restructure involving Xbox to cut 3,200 jobs and offload four studios in its biggest ever restructure across the financial year, the sale of several studios, and a company-wide reduction that The Verge reported at Xbox to cut 3,200 jobs and offload four studios in its biggest ever restructure. Xbox leadership framed it as a necessary "reset" of a business it admitted was underperforming.
For those on the receiving end, though, corporate language about resets and reorganisations can only evoke frustration. Posts like Maynard's are a reminder that behind the restructuring charts and financial framing are people, many of them highly skilled and long-serving, who lost their jobs at studios responsible for some of gaming's most beloved work.
