A long-serving id Software developer has publicly criticised Microsoft after this week's layoffs, saying around half the studio was let go despite years of acclaimed work.
I’m on the side of this was an insane move by Microsoft that they’ll regret, but that’s not a great argument.
This isn’t the same id software that did those things. This is an id software that has only released sequels rehashing mechanics with no original new IP since 2010. This is an id software who’s engine has direct competitors with similar tech.
Now sure they’re a vast, highly competent workforce with strong technological knowledge and passion and great systems, and still insane skill, but they’re a different company now than the revolutionaries you’re talking about.
It’s crazy how well the original Doom and Doom II have aged. While modern source ports have improved it with higher resolutions and level limits, the underlying gameplay is as fun as ever even today. Other, more advanced competitors of the day like Duke Nukem 3D haven’t aged as well.
I played them both a lot when they came out, and still have it installed on my PS4.
For 30 years I’ve almost always had some form of Doom and or Doom II available to play, and you are 100% right, the gameplay and feel, there just isn’t anything else like it.
Chaps, I believe we can all agree that even if Id Software consisted of a cage filled with deranged chimps they’d still be more qualified and useful than any Microsoft exec.
This is an id software who’s engine has direct competitors with similar tech.
Regardless if they have competitors with similar tech, what they’re doing on the engine side of things is pretty amazing stuff. Personally, I don’t think any engine comes close in terms of responsiveness and professionally, their work and techniques they have chosen to do and implement on rendering is very unique.
At the very least, who made the call to layoff id tech devs while infinity ward still struggles to wrangle their IW engine abomination?
There’s so many games in the Microsoft collection that could have leveraged a shared optimization group similar to PlayStation’s ICE Team and they just flushed an option.
Edit- upon further thought I guess that niche would be filled by the Xbox Advanced Technology Group… either way I have a lot of respect for id software and find these decisions beyond foolish.
Oh absolutely, even if they switched every game to Unreal 5/6 (please don’t Microsoft) just having a competent team develop engine tooling and support would be invaluable and id tech showed that competency
I’m on the side of this was an insane move by Microsoft that they’ll regret, but that’s not a great argument.
This isn’t the same id software that did those things. This is an id software that has only released sequels rehashing mechanics with no original new IP since 2010. This is an id software who’s engine has direct competitors with similar tech.
Now sure they’re a vast, highly competent workforce with strong technological knowledge and passion and great systems, and still insane skill, but they’re a different company now than the revolutionaries you’re talking about.
No, of course you are right that it’s not the same team from 1993, but they are the ones who fixed the FPS shooting in FO4.
Doom isn’t the singularity it was in the 90s, but it is still a well loved and unique franchise.
And as others have pointed out, even without their own IPs, this team has a lot of knowledge and skills that can be applied to other MS properties.
It’s crazy how well the original Doom and Doom II have aged. While modern source ports have improved it with higher resolutions and level limits, the underlying gameplay is as fun as ever even today. Other, more advanced competitors of the day like Duke Nukem 3D haven’t aged as well.
I played them both a lot when they came out, and still have it installed on my PS4.
For 30 years I’ve almost always had some form of Doom and or Doom II available to play, and you are 100% right, the gameplay and feel, there just isn’t anything else like it.
I’m one of the ones who’s been arguing letting their skill go was insane.
And even Fallout 4 was over 11 years ago. Still a very different time and company then.
Chaps, I believe we can all agree that even if Id Software consisted of a cage filled with deranged chimps they’d still be more qualified and useful than any Microsoft exec.
Then why aren’t syndicalizing?
My word, Fallout 4 was eleven years ago.
Regardless if they have competitors with similar tech, what they’re doing on the engine side of things is pretty amazing stuff. Personally, I don’t think any engine comes close in terms of responsiveness and professionally, their work and techniques they have chosen to do and implement on rendering is very unique.
At the very least, who made the call to layoff id tech devs while infinity ward still struggles to wrangle their IW engine abomination?
There’s so many games in the Microsoft collection that could have leveraged a shared optimization group similar to PlayStation’s ICE Team and they just flushed an option.
Edit- upon further thought I guess that niche would be filled by the Xbox Advanced Technology Group… either way I have a lot of respect for id software and find these decisions beyond foolish.
Oh absolutely, even if they switched every game to Unreal 5/6 (please don’t Microsoft) just having a competent team develop engine tooling and support would be invaluable and id tech showed that competency
That would be the coalition. They’re absolute masters of unreal engine, so much so that they help epic develop it.
id lost their touch when Bethesda bought them. All the cool modding stuff is gone. The last GPL engine release was Doom 3.