Romero Games, the Galway-based studio led by Doom co-creator John Romero and veteran designer Brenda Romero, said on 3 July that its publisher has withdrawn financing for the company’s unannounced first-person shooter. Multiple employees, now posting as former staff, attribute the decision to this week’s mass layoffs at Microsoft, the project’s presumed publishing partner. In a statement, Brenda Romero called the move “a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control.” She stressed that the team had “hit every milestone on time” and that the cancellation “isn’t a reflection of our work or the quality of the project.” Staff members wrote on LinkedIn that the entire workforce—about 75 developers as of last year—has been made redundant, leaving the studio’s future uncertain. The setback comes amid Microsoft’s latest restructuring, which is eliminating roughly 9,000 positions across its gaming division and has already shuttered Perfect Dark developer The Initiative while cancelling titles such as Everwild and an unannounced MMO at ZeniMax Online Studios. Romero Games is now “evaluating next steps” and seeking opportunities for affected employees.