Romero Games, the studio led by John and Brenda Romero, has recently announced that an unspecified publisher has canceled funding for their new game, something believed to be linked to Microsoft. Brenda Romero mentioned in a post that “our publisher has canceled funding for our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios”. This move appears to be a strategic decision made at a higher level within the publisher, beyond the control of the studio.
Not even having created the original Doom will save you
The possible involvement of Microsoft in this cancellation is concerning, especially since the company has been responsible for canceling multiple unannounced games recently, such as Everwild and Perfect Dark, as well as closing developers like The Initiative. Romero Games, which had promised a new first-person shooter (FPS) with a “great” publisher, may have been in the crosshairs of this restructuring within Microsoft.
An employee of the affected studio shared on social media that due to the recent layoffs at Xbox, they have lost their position at Romero Games. Brenda Romero expressed her disappointment by stating that the studio met all milestones on time and received praise in all internal evaluations. “We wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome,” Romero commented, highlighting the effort and talent of the team behind the game.
The current situation represents a hard blow for Romero Games. According to an affected employee, apparently the entire studio is being laid off. This context comes at a time when Microsoft also canceled a new MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios and faced a wave of layoffs in its company. Amid this unstable environment, the story of social commitment from John Romero, who released a new level of Doom II in 2022 to help Ukraine, further highlights the studio’s dedication to meaningful causes.
