DOOM dev id Software was "toying around" with game ideas before Xbox layoffs gutted it — a John Wick-style "Gun Fu" game and Perfect Dark were in consideration ⁠55%

By Brendan Lowry⁠71%

7/8/2026, 10:20:38 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 23 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Biased Writer Voice, and Appeal to Authority, with Unattributed Quote as the most egregious example at 49.8% saturation with 303 hits. Analysis detected 2,042 faulty-reasoning hits from 609 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 53% and a BS Rank of ⁠55% (9,854 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 55.00% of the article peer group.

While the ZeniMax and Bethesda studio id Software is best known for its DOOM games — including both the classic titles as well as the modern installments DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal , and DOOM: The Dark Ages — it's explored other properties and ideas in the past, and has reportedly been "toying around" with doing so again. 
... 
That is, until the developer was slammed by layoffs this week that came as part of a larger "reset" for Xbox and its first-party teams that's seen 3,200 roles cut and four studios divested from Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios portfolio. 
Early reports suggested that half of id Software was discharged from Microsoft and Xbox , with some follow-up digging indicating that the situation is even worse , as 40 remote employees have reportedly been let go as well. 
Described as a "bloodbath" by one former dev, the cuts have seemingly made it extremely unlikely that id's ideas for non-DOOM projects will ever be developed (especially with Xbox directing ZeniMax/Bethesda to focus on core IPs ). 
A new report from GamesBeat , though, gives some insight into what those concepts were. 
Aside from a multiplayer-focused DOOM game with co-op, the studio was also considering a game heavily inspired by the John Wick films called Fury, a new entry in the Perfect Dark series, and a survival-focused Western game with robots called Ironwood. 
The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot may have been canceled, but I would have loved to see id Software develop a new entry in the long-dormant franchise. 
Alas. 
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios) 
Fury was a new original property pitched by id Software's studio co-director and game director Hugo Martin, with "elements of sci-fi, noir, and Louisiana and Chicago gangsters" and "a modern, cyberpunk-like feel." 
Notably, it had a "Gun Fu" gameplay style that blended gunplay with martial arts melee combat, and was intended to feel like a playable John Wick movie. 
It was never greenlit. 
Allegedly, id was also exploring the possibility of making a Perfect Dark game. 
The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot was canceled last year when Microsoft and Xbox shuttered the studio ; with nobody else working on a new installment in the 2000s stealth-action shooter series, id considered doing so and reportedly even had concept art drafted. 
Finally, there's Ironwood. 
Very little is known about it other than that it would be set in a Western environment with robots and survival gameplay, though it's been said it would be very similar to the popular HBO TV show Westworld. 
Apparently, there were, and are, no plans for a new Quake — another iconic shooter series id created in the '90s. 
Personally, I think the concept for Fury sounds incredibly cool, and I'd love to have seen the full id Software team make a Perfect Dark game. 
With over half the studio now gone, however, the chances of anything other than a DOOM title being made seem extremely slim. 
Perhaps one day, several years into the future, id will be able to explore some of these concepts further. 
With Xbox CEO Asha Sharma aiming to "move faster" with its biggest franchises, though, I doubt that would happen anytime soon. 
How are you feeling about Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs, and the major impact they've had on id Software? 
I'm curious, so let me know in the comments below as well as in our poll. 
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 18.9%Brendan Lowry: 4.0%Windows Central: 4.2%Confirmation Bias18.9%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 1.0%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 14.9%Brendan Lowry: 6.7%Windows Central: 4.6%Availability Heuristic14.9%This article: 13.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.4%Windows Central: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic13.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.5%Windows Central: 0.8%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 2.3%Windows Central: 2.9%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 9.0%Brendan Lowry: 4.0%Windows Central: 5.0%Framing Effect9.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 2.0%Windows Central: 1.3%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.9%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.3%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 11.7%Brendan Lowry: 4.3%Windows Central: 8.0%Optimism Bias11.7%This article: 13.1%Brendan Lowry: 6.0%Windows Central: 3.0%Pessimism Bias13.1%This article: 35.6%Brendan Lowry: 16.3%Windows Central: 8.6%Negativity Bias35.6%This article: 4.3%Brendan Lowry: 0.6%Windows Central: 1.4%Self-Serving Bias4.3%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 0.9%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 2.0%Windows Central: 1.2%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 5.4%Windows Central: 4.1%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 6.6%Brendan Lowry: 3.4%Windows Central: 2.2%Recency Bias6.6%This article: 12.8%Brendan Lowry: 1.0%Windows Central: 0.5%Primacy Effect12.8%This article: 2.1%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias2.1%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.3%Straw Man0.0%This article: 20.5%Brendan Lowry: 3.6%Windows Central: 3.7%Appeal to Authority20.5%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.3%Windows Central: 1.7%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 9.2%Brendan Lowry: 1.6%Windows Central: 1.0%Slippery Slope9.2%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 16.7%Brendan Lowry: 6.5%Windows Central: 8.5%Hasty Generalization16.7%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 1.1%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 17.7%Brendan Lowry: 7.7%Windows Central: 3.8%Appeal to Emotion17.7%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.5%Windows Central: 0.9%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 18.1%Brendan Lowry: 2.9%Windows Central: 2.9%Post Hoc (False Cause)18.1%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.5%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 6.7%Brendan Lowry: 3.1%Windows Central: 4.0%Anecdotal6.7%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 4.1%Brendan Lowry: 1.4%Windows Central: 2.4%Ambiguity (Equivocation)4.1%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.2%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 49.8%Brendan Lowry: 4.8%Windows Central: 3.0%Unattributed Quote49.8%This article: 6.1%Brendan Lowry: 1.0%Windows Central: 1.1%Quote-first Misdirection6.1%This article: 30.2%Brendan Lowry: 18.5%Windows Central: 13.9%Biased Writer Voice30.2%This article: 5.6%Brendan Lowry: 1.9%Windows Central: 1.9%Indoctrination5.6%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 8.5%Brendan Lowry: 3.1%Windows Central: 6.7%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…8.5%

609 words analyzed.

Speakers

1speaker0.8%attributed speech604writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 28 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 57 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 40 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 38 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 37 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 41 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageXbox Game Studios • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 32 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 4 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 42 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 38 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverage
Selected voice

Xbox Game Studios

0%flagged-word coverage
5 attributed words100% of attributed speech99% writer coverage
0%27.5%55.0%Unattributed Quote-50.2 ptsWriter: 50.2%Xbox Game Studios: 0.0%0.0%Biased Writer Voice-30.5 ptsWriter: 30.5%Xbox Game Studios: 0.0%0.0%Attempt to Sell a Product -8.6 ptsWriter: 8.6%Xbox Game Studios: 0.0%0.0%Quote-first Misdirection-6.1 ptsWriter: 6.1%Xbox Game Studios: 0.0%0.0%Indoctrination-5.6 ptsWriter: 5.6%Xbox Game Studios: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.