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.

Perhaps most alarming for fans of the franchise is Hays's assertion that the studio is now in a position where it would be practically impossible to produce another large-scale title on the level of Doom: The Dark Ages. The layoffs appear to have stripped away critical talent and institutional knowledge that underpinned the studio's ability to deliver the kind of technically ambitious, high-production-value games that made id Software a household name. The comments have resonated widely across the gaming community, reigniting broader conversations about Microsoft's stewardship of the studios it acquired as part of its Bethesda purchase.

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