The impact of the mass Microsoft layoffs and project cancellations continues to unravel, with a report now claiming that Romero Games is “completely closed”. The unnamed staff member who spoke to The Journal said the development was “a big shock”.
“Everyone is out of a job,” the anonymous staff said. “We had meetings with the publisher the day before this happened, there was no mention of it. We were told we were making great progress. So this came completely out of the blue. It seemed so far away for us. The title was pretty well developed at the time.”
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Romeo Games was developing a first-person shooter in Unreal Engine 5. However, the studio confirmed hours after Microsoft announced sweeping layoffs and project cancellations that they had lost funding.
“We have some difficult news to share,” began the official statement shared by the studio. “Last night, we learned that our publisher has canceled funding for our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios.”
“This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control. We deeply wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome.”
In the statement, one of the founders of Romero Games, Brenda Romero, said the decision was not “a reflection of our team’s work,” quality or performance, adding that they “hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high praise, and easily passed all our internal gates”.
The anonymous employee who worked at Romero Games said in The Journal publication that it was still possible to save the studio and the project. According to the employee, the studio was “trying to find other ways of funding the project”.
“But for now, it’s completely closed, and the studio is closed,” the employee said.
If you have been affected by the layoffs at Romero Games and need support, please reach out to us at GWUI.
Freephone: 1800 81 91 91 or email:advice@fsunion.org
You can leave a callback requesthttps://t.co/zSABBrVjMe#RomeroGames pic.twitter.com/BXkwuCDvzZ
— Game Workers Unite Ireland (@GWU_Ireland) July 3, 2025
Romero Games was leading the industry in employee benefits
Romero Games is an Irish studio based in Galway City Center, Ireland. It was founded by celebrated game designers John and Brenda Romero in 2015. A day after the initial post announcing the “difficult news”, the studio issued another public statement thanking everyone who has reached out.
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“Your messages, your comments, your posts, they’ve meant the world to us,” the studio said. “It is an outpouring of support for our team and our game for which we are so grateful.”
Last year, while celebrating their 10-year milestone, the studio announced that it would start giving menopause leave and clothing allowance to employees. The studio was leading the industry in employee benefits, and added new employee benefits almost every year.
