
id Software Dev Blasts Xbox After Layoffs: "They Don't Understand Games"
A veteran developer at id Software has gone public with sharp criticism of Microsoft and Xbox following a wave of layoffs that hit the legendary Doom studio in July 2026. Chris Hays, a lead services programmer at id Software, took to social media to condemn the parent company, stating bluntly, "They fundamentally don't understand art. They don't understand games." Hays described the cuts as having "gutted" entire departments, leaving the studio a shadow of its former self. "We're not the same iD, we're half the same iD," he said, capturing the scale of the damage in stark terms.







