Romero Games Allegedly Met with Microsoft a Day Before Funding Was Pulled

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Update #3 [Mon 7th Jul 2025, 12am]: Romero Games is currently in the process of finding a new publishing partner.

Update #3 [Mon 7th Jul 2025, 12am]: Romero Games is actively looking for a new company to take over its publication.

This week, it was announced as a part of Xbox’s major round of layoffs that the Redmond team had decided to withdraw financial support for the upcoming project by the team based in Galway.

The studio had a meeting with Microsoft the day prior to all the recent commotion.

An anonymous source told The Journal:

The day prior to this event, we met with the publisher, but nothing about it was discussed. To us, it felt distant and unrelated. At that point in time, the title was quite established.

The studio is now seeking alternative funding in order to finish up the game.

Update #2 [Sat 5th Jul 2025, 12:15am]: Galway’s Romero Games studio has shut down, leaving over 100 employees without work due to Xbox withdrawing financial support for their upcoming project.

That’s according to Irish publication The Journal, which matches previous reports on the topic.

It’s thought that, although the specifics are not yet clear, Microsoft’s subsidiary, Bethesda, has been contracted to distribute a fresh first-person shooter developed by John Romero, the renowned creator of DOOM, and his team.

Consequently, it experienced a withdrawal of funds this week, a move that was part of a broader cost-saving strategy leading to the cancellation of several games, closure of one studio, and job losses for many.

Although Romero Games might secure fresh financing and reopen in the future, at present, they’ve temporarily closed their business.

Thursday, July 3rd, 6pm Update: As a passionate fan, I’ve learned that due to this week’s Xbox news, the whole team at Romero Games, including developers whose resumes I’ve been following, has unfortunately faced layoffs.

Numerous team members spanning various fields, including art and programming, have openly discussed their predicament online, with many confirming that the entire team was terminated.

A specific former employee expressed regret that the studio had to shut down as a result of financial reductions imposed by the publishing company.

Recently, a project by the renowned DOOM designer John Romero and his team was unfortunately scrapped due to broader cuts at Xbox that have caused quite a stir in the gaming world this past week.

The cancellation of the project (previously planned to be funded by Microsoft subsidiary Bethesda) – allegedly intended for release on PS5 and other platforms according to Insider Gaming – led to job losses at Romero Games, the development studio.

In a statement, it said:

To be clear, this situation doesn’t represent a flaw in our team’s work, performance, or the caliber of the project. We’ve consistently met all deadlines, garnered numerous compliments, and sailed through every internal review effortlessly. We take immense pride in what we’re accomplishing and the exceptional talent that makes it happen. This is undeniably our best work yet.

The studio is currently trying to figure out their next steps, and they’ve shared that similar situations have arisen in other studios with yet-to-be-revealed projects.

It added:

Making this move was a top-tier choice from the publishing house, beyond our sight or influence. We truly regret that we couldn’t find a way to alter this result.

It appears that layoffs have been initiated at Romero Games following the project’s cancellation, and artist Cristoph Redl is one of those who have unfortunately been let go.

This week, over 9,000 employees were let go by Microsoft globally, with the Xbox division taking a significant blow.

In the midst of the upheaval, the company decided to postpone or cancel prominent exclusive games such as Everwild and Perfect Dark, originally planned for release on the PlayStation 5.

Currently, there’s no indication that Phil Spencer, the head of our division, plans to retire. It’s reassuring to see he remains committed to us here at Xbox.

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2025-07-07 01:06