Romero Games, the studio established by Doom co-creator John Romero and Brenda Romero, has expressed "heartbreak" after learning that funding for its next title has been withdrawn—reportedly as part of Microsoft's recent cutbacks—putting both the game and its development team in jeopardy.

In an official statement, studio director Brenda Romero noted that the company's publisher and financial partner confirmed last night it was abandoning the project "along with several other unannounced initiatives at other studios."

In a separate social media post, a now-former Romero Games employee shared that they have lost their job at the studio "due to the recent Xbox layoffs." IGN has reached out to Microsoft for a statement.

The announcement follows closely Microsoft’s latest wave of widespread layoffs, which affected numerous internal Xbox studios and led to the cancellation of several projects, including Everwild and Perfect Dark, as well as other unannounced titles Microsoft had backed.

"This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publishing company, well beyond our oversight or influence," Romero stated. "We dearly wish we could have done something—anything—to avert this result."

Romero indicated the publisher's move came unexpectedly, as Romero Games had "met all milestones punctually, consistently earned high praise, and smoothly cleared all internal evaluation stages."

For the moment, Romero Games stated it is "currently assessing options and acting swiftly to assist our team," urging those with "potential opportunities or ways to support our outstanding team" to "please get in touch."

"This team is the finest I've ever collaborated with," John Romero remarked, sharing the news on social media. "It pains me to confirm that our game and studio were impacted as well."

Among Romero Games' recent releases are 2019's Sigil and its 2023 follow-up Sigil 2, plus the mafia strategy title Empire of Sin, released in 2020.

Details regarding the studio’s work in recent years remain scarce, apart from it being a new first-person shooter built in Unreal Engine 5. In July 2022, the studio announced it was scaling up to develop the project after securing financial backing.

"This marks a new era for Romero Games," the team declared at that time. "We're collaborating with a leading publisher to produce John Romero's next shooter: a brand-new FPS set within a fresh, original IP."