John Romero Says He’s Talking with Multiple Companies to Finish the Game Originally Funded by Microsoft

Legendary game developer John Romero, co-founder of id Software and one of the creative minds behind iconic titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Hexen, and Quake, has shared an update about his studio’s next major project. Speaking with Gamereactor during San Diego Comic Con Malaga, Romero revealed that he and his team at Romero Games are in active discussions with several publishers to complete the ambitious game that had been in development under a now-terminated funding deal with Microsoft.

Romero explained that the project was about halfway through development when the collaboration with Microsoft ended, following the company’s latest wave of layoffs within its Xbox division. Despite this setback, Romero Games remains fully operational and retains full ownership of the project.

“We’re still figuring out what we’re going to do with our big game,” Romero said. “We own the intellectual property, we own the code, we own everything about the game. So, we have a lot of companies that are interested and still working with us on it.”

He further elaborated that the substantial progress already made makes the project an appealing opportunity for potential partners.

“When you develop a game for years and you put in, say, 50 million dollars into a game, if you move and start working with somebody else, they get 50 million dollars for free. So lots of people want to continue working on something, and even if that doesn’t happen, you have 50 million worth of assets that you can use to make another thing. We were about midway through our game,” Romero added.

Romero’s statement offers a glimpse of optimism amid a difficult year for many developers, as layoffs and canceled projects have continued to ripple across the gaming industry. His confidence suggests that Romero Games’ next title is far from being shelved, and with active talks underway, it could still find a new publishing partner to see it through completion.

The studio’s most recent release, Empire of Sin, launched in 2020 as a Mafia-themed turn-based strategy game, receiving a mixed but intrigued response from players and critics. With his latest project described as a “big game,” it’s clear Romero aims to return to the high-production arena that defined his earlier career.

For now, fans can only hope that one of the interested publishers helps bring Romero’s latest vision to life and that the project doesn’t join the growing list of high-profile cancellations seen throughout the industry this year.

What do you think? Could this be Romero’s next big comeback, or will it remain another unfinished chapter in Microsoft’s shifting development landscape?