I have incredibly mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, Microsoft is indefensible. From any perspective, how they’re treating their employees is unfair to those people. Not a revolutionary sentiment.

On the other hand, I can’t clutch my pearls too hard for id the company. This isn’t the studio making Commander Keen anymore. Doom 2016 was technically impressive and well designed, I played some of it. But I didn’t finish it and it didn’t make me feel much. It was a throwback to an era in gaming that was emotionally very simple. Find gun, see thing, shoot thing, repeat. Video game candy at best, Flaming Hot Bacon Cheesefries at worst. Then they made the same thing for a decade. id isn’t Supergiant, Dogubomb, or Larian.

So framing layoffs at id as Microsoft not understanding art or games feels too far. I think Microsoft understands the kind of games it wants id to make just fine and they’ll continue to squeeze studios to shit out robotic find gun, see thing, shoot thing, repeat games. The Microsoft studios are largely husks that haven’t made art in a long time.

This is all academic for id’s employees. Whether it’s art or not, they make something people enjoy. Their skills and efforts are being exploited mercilessly because their love for video games gives them a tolerance for abuse they wouldn’t have to put up with as, say, accountants. As I mentioned up top, I have mixed feelings and wish those people the best.

Tango’s a different story. Again, indefensible.

As for the (Microsoft) statements that “we’re still the same id”, Hays says that "First of all, we’re not the same id. We’re half the same id. It was the people—what made us special was the people and the relationships that we have. It’s not the IP

Hasn’t Microsoft been “restructuring” and firing people from a lot of game studios recently?
IDK, maybe the plan is to issue a bunch of AI tokens to them, and have AI do the “art” instead?

But I’m sure it will be just the same. /s

Dark Ages was ass, yes

Except that guy who made Ski Free, but yes.