Microsoft has laid off the entire idTech engine team at id Software, which may indicate a strategic shift away from the in-house idTech engine toward using Unreal Engine 5. This move could accelerate industry consolidation around Unreal Engine, reducing engine diversity and potentially impacting the unique technical identity of id Software games. The layoffs affect the team responsible for idTech, a proprietary engine powering titles like Doom: The Dark Ages, and come amid broader Microsoft gaming layoffs; no official confirmation of the switch to Unreal Engine 5 has been provided.
Background
id Software has historically developed its own game engines, from id Tech 1 through id Tech 7, which powered iconic series like Doom and Quake. These engines were known for their performance and innovation. Unreal Engine 5, created by Epic Games, is a widely adopted third-party engine with advanced features like Nanite and Lumen.
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Discussion
Commenters express concern that Microsoft is sacrificing unique technical culture for cost-saving homogenization, with some noting that using Unreal Engine could enable hiring cheaper contractors. Others question the lack of evidence for the specific layoffs and suggest open-sourcing idTech instead.