Romero Games cancels FPS following loss of Microsoft funding

It’s another dark week for the games industry due to the massive job cuts at Microsoft, which are not only directly affecting employees at studios and publishers owned by the company, but those external ones being partnered with them as well. 

One of these is Romero Games, which had been working on a first-person shooter running on Unreal Engine 5. The as-yet untitled game has been cancelled following the layoffs at Microsoft, implying that it was the unnamed publisher that had supported its development with funding. The project's end is resulting in layoffs at the company.

“We have some difficult news to share. 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,” Brenda Romero stated on BlueSky.

“This absolutely isn’t a reflection of our team’s work, performance, or the quality of the project itself. We hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high praise, and easily passed all our internal gates. We are incredibly proud of the work being done, and of the talented team behind it. The best we’ve worked with,” the statement continued. “We’re currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team. Many of us have worked together for more than a decade, some for over 20 years. It’s an extremely difficult day, and we’re heartbroken that it’s come to this. If you know of any opportunities or ways you can help our incredible team, please reach out. Thank you to everyone who’s offered support and kindness and encouragement during this difficult time.”

Romero Games’ FPS joins an untitled MMORPG by ZeniMax Online Games, Rare’s Everwild, and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark on the list of games axed during this latest wave of spending cuts.

More layoffs are currently happening at Build A Rocket Boy, though these are entirely unrelated to Microsoft.

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