Overview
- Brenda and John Romero, who spoke publicly Friday, said the industry is in a “really horrible place” and “definitely crashier” than the early 1980s downturn.
- Romero Games reduced headcount to nine after a publisher pulled support for a shooter in development, a move some former staff linked to Microsoft that the studio has not confirmed.
- John Romero pointed to Battlefield 6 selling strongly in 2025 yet still being followed by layoffs across studios that worked on it.
- Brenda Romero described heavy pressure to adopt generative AI with strong pushback from teams and players, and said her studio is not using it.
- Coverage noted years of cuts at EA, PlayStation, and Epic as AAA budgets top an estimated $300 million, while the Romeros shift to a micro-team model and vow to keep making games.