Following Xbox’s announcement that it’s cutting 3,200 jobs, the extent of the layoffs at each of its teams is still coming to light. Unfortunately, the legendary id Software, the studio behind Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake, and Rage, has reportedly been slashed in half.

Multiple anonymous sources confirmed to Game Developer that over 90 of its 200-ish employees have been let go. Jeff Gardiner, a former project lead at Bethesda, posted on X that 95 people were laid off. Even more alarming, Apogee/3D Realms founder Scott Miller, who worked with id in its early days, said he received insider news that “most (if not all) coders” at the company had been cut.

Miller’s claim is particularly shocking because id Software is known as one of the great pioneers of video game tech. Wolfenstein (1992), Doom (1993), and Quake (1996) were only possible thanks to impressive feats of software engineering that made first-person shooters into a viable genre. Since then, the company has maintained its reputation as a hub of coding prowess, with the Doom series one of the few modern AAA games running on its own in-house engine (id Tech 8), instead of something like Unreal.

On top of seemingly firing the tech wizards that make the studio what it is, the move is a bit confusing given Microsoft’s stated objectives with its restructuring. id Software is one of the few studios at the company that has consistently released new games in its biggest series, having recently put out Doom: The Dark Ages. That entry reached 3 million players over its first week, marking the biggest-ever launch for id Software. Granted, this was largely because it was the first id Software game to launch on Game Pass, but these numbers are still notable.

In an internal email leaked to IGN, Bethesda president Jill Braff (id Software is structured under Bethesda Softowrks owner ZeniMax Media) said that “we are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what’s next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole.” With id’s apparent headcount reduction, it seems possible that the studio may be given more of a support role at Bethesda, assisting with games like Fallout, Wolfenstein, and more.

id Software co-founder John Romero posted a message to those affected by the layoffs. “The people at id have done a great job moving that legacy forward. Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein are not easy names to carry on, especially in today’s industry. The last few games showed real care, skill and respect for what those worlds mean to people.”

Following the news, many Doom fans are probably wishing that id had received the same deal as studios like Double Fine, allowing it to go independent instead of seemingly fading into a support outfit.