John Romero Revives Cancelled Xbox FPS as a Smaller Team Project

John Romero, co-founder of id Software, has confirmed that his studio's upcoming first-person shooter has secured a new publishing partner.The project was reportedly abandoned by Xbox following Microsoft's round of workforce reductions. The new agreement has also allowed Romero Games to bring back 10 developers who previously lost their jobs.

The project's development history highlights just how significant this recovery has been. Originally announced in 2022 as a completely new intellectual property, the FPS was developed by a team of approximately 110 people before production appeared to come to a halt in the summer of 2025, reportedly following Microsoft's layoffs. Romero revealed that the studio eventually reached a low point with only five employees remaining. Since finding a new publishing partner, however, the company has managed to rehire ten former team members to continue working on the title.

A 110-person game is unfinishable, so it was redesigned

Romero explained that the original version of the shooter was simply too ambitious to complete with the resources currently available. He acknowledged that the previous project could not realistically reach its original release goals because it had been designed around a development team of 110 people. As a result, the studio decided to rebuild the game from the ground up, creating a substantially different experience while retaining valuable elements from the earlier production.

Instead of abandoning all the progress made over several years, Romero Games has carried selected materials into the new version. Existing artwork, weapons, and other development assets are being reused to accelerate production and reduce the workload for the smaller team. According to Romero, preserving these completed elements has provided the developers with a considerable advantage. This approach also demonstrates how a studio can recover from a cancelled publishing agreement without losing every investment made during the original development process.

Scope matched to the team, and a publisher with no demands

The updated project has been carefully adjusted to match the studio's current workforce. Romero explained that the development scope now reflects the number of people available, allowing the team to focus on creating a game that can realistically be completed with its existing resources. He also emphasized that the studio is comfortable operating at this smaller scale and has no immediate need to expand its workforce.

The new publishing agreement is another important factor in the project's future. Although Romero has not disclosed the identity of the publisher, he described the partnership as one that comes without additional creative restrictions or specific design expectations. The publisher will provide financial support while allowing Romero Games to maintain full control over the game's creative direction. For a development studio that previously faced the possibility of shutting down after losing its original publishing support, this more flexible arrangement could provide the stability needed to bring the redesigned FPS to completion.