Connecting the dots: A developer who worked on the FPS classic Doom has slammed Microsoft's top management for the way it has handled its gaming division in recent years. The criticism comes just days after a former Obsidian Entertainment developer called Xbox a "cancer" and confessed to not owning a single game on the console.
In an interview with Game Developer, the unnamed developer, who was one of the 3,200 Xbox employees fired by Microsoft earlier this month, criticized Redmond for announcing the job cuts a day before the launch of the new Doom DLC. The layoffs accounted for 20% of the total staff at Xbox and reduced the id Software workforce by 75%.
Accusing Microsoft of destroying "an immense amount of value," the developer lamented that id Software and its employees did not benefit in any meaningful way after being acquired by the company. He also warned that the mass layoffs could hurt Microsoft as the "entire thing is going to fall apart" because the development teams depend heavily on one another to create quality content.
The Doom developer's views on Microsoft are shared by his former boss, id Software co-founder and Doom creator John Carmack, who recently admitted that his earlier optimism about Microsoft's acquisition of id Software hasn't stood the test of time. In a social media post, Carmack wrote, "My 'Microsoft will probably be a good steward of the brand' statement isn't aging well."
Carmack, however, said that he understood why id Software was never a priority for a multitrillion-dollar company like Microsoft. "I'm saddened, but I can't muster anger or outrage over it," he stated, adding that he has no reason to doubt the Bloomberg report that claimed most of the smaller studios owned by Microsoft are being funded by Minecraft revenue.
Microsoft also recently confirmed plans to cut hundreds more jobs at Bethesda and its parent company, ZeniMax Media. The layoffs will reportedly impact 166 employees in Rockville and 213 in Cockeysville. The announcement has prompted widespread protests, with hundreds of Bethesda and ZeniMax employees rallying outside ZeniMax's headquarters during lunchtime on Wednesday.
In addition to cutting thousands of jobs, Microsoft is also separating from at least four game studios that it acquired in recent years. According to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, the company will sell Ninja Theory and Undead Labs to third-party buyers, while Compulsion Games and Double Fine will become independent.