Romero Games now ‘completely closed’ following Microsoft cuts, it’s claimed

Romero Games, the Ireland-based studio founded by celebrated designers John and Brenda Romero, has now completely closed following this week’s Microsoft cuts, it’s claimed.

On Wednesday, the studio confirmed it had lost funding for its unannounced shooter project, after an unnamed publisher, later named as Microsoft, pulled a publishing agreement.

It later emerged that employees had lost their jobs after they posted messages on LinkedIn. Now, one employee has claimed the studio has been closed entirely, with all of its over 100 staff members losing their jobs.

Speaking to The Journal, the anonymous Romero Games staff member described the situation as “a big shock”.

“Everyone is out of a job,” they said. “We had meetings with the publisher the day before this happened, there was no mention of it… It seemed so far away for us. The title was pretty well developed at the time.”

Romero Games was working on a first-person shooter made in Unreal Engine 5. According to the anonymous employee, there is a chance another publisher could swoop in and save the project – and Romero Games – but as of now, its operations have ended.

“We’re trying to find other ways of funding the project,” the employee said. “But for now, it’s completely closed, and the studio is closed.”

Romero Games is the latest casualty in a week that has seen mass job losses at Microsoft and high-profile cancellations across Xbox.

Microsoft announced the sweeping layoffs on Wednesday, which could amount to over 9000 staff losing their jobs. The publisher’s troubled reboot of Perfect Dark has been cancelled, and The Initiative has been closed.

Rare’s Everwild has also been cancelled, and several senior developers have left the historic studio. 

ZeniMax Online Studios boss Matt Firor has also announced that he is leaving the studio amid the cancellation of Project Blackbird, a long-in-development project at the studio.