Romero Games has secured a new publishing deal for its unannounced shooter after Xbox canceled funding last year. Co-founder John Romero, known for co-creating Doom at id Software, revealed the agreement in an interview with VGC. The team has rescoped the game for a much smaller crew in Galway, Ireland. Xbox had funded 110 developers on the original build, but the independent studio now operates with just 16 developers. This new backing lets Romero and his team build a fresh shooter using assets created for the abandoned version [1].
A New Publishing Deal
The team lost its financial backing when Xbox canceled funding for the unannounced shooter during widespread industry cutbacks. John Romero leads Romero Games with his wife Brenda Romero, who serves as an experienced game designer. Romero said the group spent months looking for alternative funding to keep the original shooter alive. As funds ran out, keeping a large staff became impossible. Romero contacted an industry acquaintance he knew personally, leading to an agreement with a new game publisher [1].
Details about the identity of the publishing partner remain confidential for now. Ted Litchfield reported for PC Gamer that contractual terms prevent Romero from naming the company or sharing a reveal date. “I just contacted somebody that I knew, and we basically did a deal, and so we have a new publisher,” Romero told VGC. “Can’t say anything about who it is, or when the announce is, or any of that stuff.” The new contract gave the team enough financial runway to resume active work in Galway [1].
Scott McCrae reported for GamesRadar+ that the deal brings long-awaited relief to the Galway team after more than a year of uncertainty. John Romero confirmed that the rescue deal ensures the survival of his next shooter. With funding secured from the new partner, the developers are no longer at risk of closure [2].
Team Reductions at Romero Games
The sudden cancellation by Xbox forced deep staff cuts before the new publishing deal came together. When Microsoft withdrew support, Romero Games tried to retain staff as long as possible while searching for alternative investors. That cancellation arrived alongside broader Xbox layoffs and studio consolidation across Microsoft’s gaming division. Eventually, funds dried up and Romero had to implement redundancies. Headcount shrank from 110 developers down to just 5 core members, leaving 95 staff without jobs after Xbox pulled the plug [1].
Romero explained how difficult that period was for everyone at the company. “Last year we basically got defunded, like a lot of people did, and so we had to spend time figuring out what we were going to do,” Romero said. “Eventually we decided that we can’t keep everybody on forever, and we kept them on as long as we could, trying to find funding to finish the game, keep everybody there, but as time goes on and people leave you can’t build that game again.” The departures made it impossible to complete the 110-person shooter originally planned for Xbox [1].
After signing with the new publisher, Romero began rebuilding his core group in Ireland. Scott McCrae reported for GamesRadar+ that Romero brought back 10 laid-off developers who previously led different sub-teams. Those 10 returning leads joined the 5 remaining developers, bringing total headcount to 15 or 16 staff. Romero told GamesRadar+ that the new shooter is scoped for a team of that size and he has no intention of expanding back to triple digits [2].
New Scope for the Scrapped Game
The drop from 110 developers to 16 meant Romero could not simply continue the old Xbox design. A group of 16 people can’t build a game planned for a triple-digit workforce. Instead of chasing an unrealistic scale, Romero chose to redesign the shooter from scratch. “We’re not getting [the project’s original form] to the end,” Romero said. “That game we can’t get to the end, because it’s a 110-person game. So this is a complete redesign of a totally different game, but it uses a lot of the work that we had in the previous games [1].”
Crucially, the contract with Xbox ensured that Romero Games retained full intellectual property rights. The company owns the title, source code, art, and graphics created during development. “We 100% own everything,” Romero told VGC. “We own the name, we own all the IP, all the art, all the graphics, the code and everything. And so I needed to basically design a new game that could use as much of that stuff as possible, to just basically get a head start [1].”
Transferring art and assets into the new shooter saved months of early work for the team in Galway. Scott McCrae highlighted in GamesRadar+ that Romero moved finished art assets and cool weapon designs directly into the new build. Having complete ownership of pre-existing graphics and weapons gave the 16 developers an immediate foundation without starting from zero [2].
Creative Terms with the New Backer
The new publisher has taken a hands-off approach to design decisions. Romero praised the partner for giving Romero Games complete creative autonomy without imposing outside directives. “The publisher we’re with right now has zero creative goals for this game,” Romero said. “They’re like “you make what you want, we’re publishing it, we’re not going to tell you what to make.” That’s the perfect deal [1].”
Romero pointed out that large publishers often alter game designs to match corporate targets or in-house specialties. Publisher contracts frequently push developers to modify their gameplay to fit market trends. In contrast, the new agreement protects creative freedom. Romero explained that small teams can pivot gameplay mechanics in hours rather than waiting weeks for corporate approval [1].
That agile approach aligns with Romero’s career at id Software and beyond. Ted Litchfield observed in PC Gamer that Romero achieved his most enduring achievements with small teams or solo efforts, including Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Sigil. In contrast, large teams often created friction: Quake strained id Software to the breaking point, and Daikatana featured the largest staff Romero ever managed. Returning to a 16-person team gives Romero an environment reminiscent of his early classics [1].
What Is Romero Games Working On?
Although Romero has not shared the official name, he confirmed that the upcoming release is a first-person shooter. The 16 developers in Galway are building fresh combat mechanics around the art, code, and weapon assets salvaged from the Xbox build. “It’s a shooter—that part totally makes sense—but everything else around it is really new, and everybody on the team is so excited,” Romero told VGC [1].
For Romero Games, securing this publisher agreement turns a devastating Xbox cancellation into a renewed opportunity. Losing 95 developers was a painful blow for the Galway team, but the surviving 16 staff now have independent backing to ship their game. Romero told GamesRadar+ that the team is happy with its current scope and eager to deliver a focused shooter [2].
The developers have not yet announced supported platforms or a release date for the new shooter. As development continues in Galway, John Romero’s team is focused on proving that a lean, independent crew can craft an engaging FPS [1].
- ONLINE NEWS Litchfield, T. (2026, October 30). Romero Games has a new publisher for the game Xbox abandoned, but its 110-person team is now just 16 devs: ‘I needed to basically design a new game that could use as much of that stuff as possible’. PC Gamer. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS McCrae, S. (2026, October 30). Doom’s John Romero confirms his new FPS is saved after Xbox abandoned it, new publisher deal helps studio re-hire 10 laid off staff. GamesRadar+. [Article Link]
