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Romeros Warn Video Game Downturn Is Worse Than 1980s Crash

Their studio’s deep cuts after Microsoft pulled funding show how a sudden loss of backing can upend developers’ lives.

Overview

  • Brenda Romero said the industry is in a really horrible place and called the current slump definitely crashier than the early‑1980s collapse.
  • John Romero cited Battlefield 6 as a paradox, noting the 2025 hit sold well while Electronic Arts still cut development jobs.
  • Eurogamer reports Romero Games shrank from about 110 people to nine after Microsoft’s company‑wide cuts last year pulled the studio’s funding.
  • The studio’s in‑progress shooter was kept alive after the funding loss, though the team had to redesign it heavily to continue.
  • Brenda Romero said there is strong pressure to adopt generative AI as teams and players resist its use, and she said the studio is not using it.