id Software Reportedly Pitched New Perfect Dark, John Wick-Inspired Game, and More Before Layoffs

id Software was reportedly exploring a range of ideas for future game projects when Microsoft laid off more than half of the studio. According to a new report from GamesBeat, 92 of 185 full-time employees were let go, putting several projects in jeopardy. The report notes that the studio was working on multiple concepts, and sources are uncertain how they can proceed with such a reduced team. "I'm not convinced there is a viable way forward," one laid-off worker told GamesBeat. "It feels like a bunch of knee-jerk responses."

id Software recently completed work on the new Doom: The Dark Ages DLC, titled Revelations, and was considering its next full-scale project. One idea was a co-op/multiplayer Doom game that would bring back weapons from previous Doom titles. Another was a new Perfect Dark game, as the property became available last year following Xbox's shutdown of developer The Initiative and cancellation of its Perfect Dark reboot.

There were also concepts for a game codenamed Fury, which id Software saw as a way to expand beyond Doom. It was envisioned as a John Wick-inspired, noir sci-fi game featuring "Chicago and Louisiana gangsters," blending martial arts with gunplay. The hope was to develop it for Project Helix, the next-gen Xbox. Another project being discussed was a Westworld-inspired survival game, though little else is known about it.

It remains unclear if any of these projects will move forward, or if id Software will become a support studio assisting on games like The Elder Scrolls 6, Wolfenstein 3, Marvel's Blade, or other Xbox projects. Last year, a similar situation occurred at Turn 10 Studios, the team behind Forza Motorsport, which was gutted by mass layoffs, raising questions about the future of the Motorsport series versus the more successful Forza Horizon games.