One of DOOM’s key creators’ studios could also be a casualty of the Redmond tech giant’s new AI-first approach…

TheJournal.ie reports that John Romero (DOOM designer) and Brenda Romero (Wizardry 8 developer) have closed Romero Games after their publisher withdrew support for their in-development FPS. Former staff say the publisher was Microsoft, making Romero Games yet another victim of the tech giant’s recent round of mass layoffs and studio closures. We previously heard about the studio’s lost funding, but TheJournal.ie confirmed the shutdown and provided more context. One ex-employee said Romero Games had been in talks with the publisher just the day before the closure, with no indication anything was about to happen.

While the studio was nervous about Microsoft’s layoffs and studio closures, the threat seemed remote given the project’s advanced state. Romero Games directly employed 42 people, but TheJournal.ie reports that more than 100 were affected when counting outside contractors involved in the FPS. The studio’s first project, 2020’s Empire of Sin, was largely forgotten, but Moonmana surprised everyone with an expansion in June.

Romero Games is best known for the unofficial DOOM expansions Sigil and Sigil 2, released in 2018 and 2023. Both megawads became cult favorites in the DOOM canon and made it into the Nightdive remaster. Had Romero Games’ FPS matched Sigil’s design brilliance in a full-blown AAA FPS, gamers may have lost out on a future classic.

According to one staffer, they are still looking for other ways to fund the project, but for now, things look bleak, and the studio has closed its doors. Maybe, like Tango Gameworks, there’s a chance for a second life under new leadership…

Source: PCGamer, The Journal