It's not a good time in the industry right now. Companies across the board, including EA and Epic Games, are making layoffs, and Romero Games, the studio founded by John and Brenda Romero, is no exception. But despite it all, the co-creator of Doom is determined to make games until the bitter end.
"I feel like the industry's in a really horrible place," Brenda Romero tells GamesIndustry.biz. "I mean, we were there in the '80s for the crash, and this is definitely crashier. There are so few people that have not been affected, or their partner's affected, or they're worried about being affected."
She's referring, of course, to the crash of 1983, an industry-wide recession that took years to recover from. Things are certainly looking a bit desperate, and although they've seen plenty within game development, Brenda's unsure of what's coming.
"This is really one of those times where I don't know," she says. "And you hear behind the scenes, there's tremendous push toward teams using generative AI, there's tremendous pushback from teams and from gamers about using generative AI - and before you ask, we're not using generative AI. So I don't know."
She adds they're "doing OK for the next little bit," and they accept that if 2027 is another rough year, "we've both had a good run." The pragmatism is refreshing, if slightly disheartening to hear. There are glimmers of hope, what with the success of Slay the Spire 2, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Arc Raiders, but long-term viability is hanging over everyone.
All the same, John knows only one thing for certain: "I'm not going to stop making games." Even after having helped make Doom and Quake and contributing to numerous other releases and projects, he's as inspired as ever. "There's too much cool stuff to make," he adds.
That much is definitely true. If you're feeling a bit hopeless, listen to the OG Doom Guy - there's just too much cool stuff to make happen.
