Most or possibly all of the id Software staff assigned to the idTech game engine were dismissed during a broad round of Xbox job cuts, according to a report from GameFromScratch. The outlet based its account on public posts attributed to industry figures and an affected longtime id Software employee. Microsoft did not provide a team-level number in the evidence available for this report.
The reported reductions matter because idTech has underpinned id Software’s first-person games and influenced other engines across the industry. The report described the technology group as the team responsible for ongoing engine development, but the exact number of eliminated positions and the future ownership of that work were not specified.
The cuts were linked to what Xbox leadership called the largest restructuring in the division’s history. A company-wide message said about 3,200 roles would be removed during the 2027 fiscal year, including roughly 1,600 immediately. It also said four studios would move out of Xbox under new management. The year-long program means further actions were expected rather than all decisions occurring at once.
GameFromScratch cited a post from Apogee founder Scott Miller and a LinkedIn post attributed to Michael Maynard, described as an id Software veteran of more than 20 years who was affected by the reductions. Those accounts were presented as the basis for the conclusion that the engine team had been severely reduced. The supplied material does not establish whether every person on the team was dismissed, so the strongest version of that claim remains unconfirmed.
The wider restructuring spans the Xbox organization and follows years of studio acquisitions and expanded investment. The employee communication acknowledged that the decisions would affect developers who joined through acquisitions as well as people recruited directly into the gaming business. It framed the cuts as a response to weak financial performance, organizational complexity and slower-than-expected growth from Game Pass, multiplatform releases and a larger content portfolio.
For id Software, the immediate uncertainty concerns how Microsoft will maintain and develop idTech after the personnel changes. An engine is not merely a component of one release; it supports tools, rendering systems and production workflows that can span several projects. The available report, however, did not identify a replacement group, licensing change, engine retirement or cancellation of an announced id title. Until Microsoft or id Software gives more detail, the scope of the cuts is clearer than their long-term technical consequence.
