id Software reportedly pitched four projects to Xbox after finishing Doom: The Dark Ages — including a new Perfect Dark with its own concept art — but none were greenlit before layoffs hit 136 staff at the studio.
- The other pitches were Fury, a John Wick-inspired 'Gun Fu' original from Doom director Hugo Martin; Ironwood, a Westworld-style robot survival game; and a co-op, multiplayer-focused Doom.
- Perfect Dark was available because The Initiative's reboot was cancelled and that studio shut down, leaving the franchise dormant inside Microsoft.
- Nothing was ever announced or budgeted, so there is nothing to wishlist or preorder — these were proposal-stage concepts that are now unlikely to move forward in their original form.
id Software, the studio behind Doom and Quake, reportedly pitched a new Perfect Dark game to Xbox after wrapping work on Doom: The Dark Ages — one of four internal proposals that never made it past the presentation stage before Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs tore through the studio. The details come from GamesBeat interviews with former id developers, since picked up widely across the industry press.
Four pitches, zero greenlights
With The Dark Ages and its Revelations DLC out the door, id was between major projects — which, in the current Xbox climate, is a dangerous place to be. The studio reportedly put together several ideas to fill the gap, and the range is genuinely interesting: a dormant Rare franchise revival, two original IPs, and a structural rethink of Doom itself.
| Pitch | What it was | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Dark | A new take on the franchise, with concept art produced after The Initiative’s reboot was cancelled | Not greenlit |
| Fury | Original IP from Doom director Hugo Martin — a John Wick-inspired mix of sci-fi, noir and ‘Gun Fu’ gunplay-meets-martial-arts | Not greenlit |
| Ironwood | A Western-style robot survival game likened to Westworld | Not greenlit |
| Co-op Doom | Multiplayer and co-op concepts bringing back classic weapons and expanding beyond the current single-player focus | Not greenlit |
The Perfect Dark angle is the most striking. Microsoft cancelled The Initiative’s long-troubled reboot in 2025 and shuttered the studio, which left one of Xbox’s most beloved FPS brands sitting unused. id apparently saw an opening: a first-person shooter franchise with no active team on it, and a studio that knows first-person shooters better than almost anyone. On paper, it made sense.
Why none of it is happening
None of these pitches survived contact with Xbox’s restructuring. The layoffs hit id hard — 136 staff were affected, with one former developer saying the studio has been relegated to support-team size. Former VFX artist Derek Best put it more bluntly, saying Microsoft had ‘nuked the team into the dirt’ while ‘throwing out massive technological achievements’.
There is also a strategic shift behind the cuts. New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is reportedly refocusing Bethesda and id around their biggest brands, which points towards established series like Doom and Quake rather than experimental new IP or a Perfect Dark revival. Fury, in particular — a Louisiana-and-Chicago-gangsters noir shooter from the director of modern Doom — sounds exactly like the kind of ambitious swing that a ‘focus on what sells’ mandate quietly kills. And id is not alone in feeling the squeeze: even projects that appeared at Xbox showcases, like State of Decay 3, are reportedly at risk as Microsoft reshuffles its portfolio.
Worth being clear about what this story is and is not: these were internal pitches with presentation material and concept art, not announced games with budgets, platforms or release windows. If a new Perfect Dark or a John Wick-style shooter ever does emerge from Xbox, it will most likely come from a different studio or a heavily reworked concept. For now, the realistic expectation is that id’s next release — whenever it comes, and with whatever team remains — will look a lot more like traditional Doom or Quake than anything on the list above.
FAQ
Did id Software make a new Perfect Dark game?
No. id Software reportedly pitched a new Perfect Dark game to Xbox, complete with concept art, after The Initiative's reboot was cancelled in 2025. The pitch was never greenlit, and it remains an internal proposal rather than an announced project.
What other games did id Software pitch before the Xbox layoffs?
Alongside Perfect Dark, id reportedly pitched Fury, a John Wick-inspired original IP from Doom director Hugo Martin featuring 'Gun Fu' combat; Ironwood, a Westworld-style robot survival game; and a co-op, multiplayer-focused Doom. None were approved.
How badly was id Software affected by the Xbox layoffs?
State filings revealed that as many as 136 workers at id Software were affected. One former employee said the studio has been relegated to support-studio size, and former VFX artist Derek Best said the team had been 'nuked into the dirt'.
Will Xbox ever release a new Perfect Dark game?
There is no announced Perfect Dark project. With The Initiative closed, id's pitch rejected, and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly refocusing studios on their biggest brands, any future Perfect Dark would likely come from a different studio or a substantially reworked concept.
