The gaming industry's layoff trauma just spawned a new dev studio. Microsoft cut thousands from its gaming division, shuttering studios like The Initiative and gutting teams at ZeniMax Online. Employees labeled the cuts inhumane. From that wreckage, former ZeniMax principal gameplay designer Quentin Cobb and colleague Elaine Gómez founded Ironroot Games.
Cobb called the ZeniMax layoffs traumatic, describing how he wrapped his identity into work that got flushed away. He stated the team was blindsided, with many still struggling from that day. Gómez shared her own traumatic layoff experience from NetEase-backed Worlds Untold, recalling being told the project was fully funded before sudden termination.
The founders aim to build a people-first studio. Gómez emphasized that developers are not cogs in a machine. Cobb criticized common revenue sharing, where executives take gigantic portions and teams get scraps. He feels strongly that the people making a game should earn the money it generates.
Ironroot is developer-owned. Its first project remains under wraps, described as a personal game with a small budget. Development progresses slowly with a small team and some part-time work. The studio represents another attempt to forge a better path after widespread industry layoffs.
Cobb called the ZeniMax layoffs traumatic, describing how he wrapped his identity into work that got flushed away. He stated the team was blindsided, with many still struggling from that day. Gómez shared her own traumatic layoff experience from NetEase-backed Worlds Untold, recalling being told the project was fully funded before sudden termination.
The founders aim to build a people-first studio. Gómez emphasized that developers are not cogs in a machine. Cobb criticized common revenue sharing, where executives take gigantic portions and teams get scraps. He feels strongly that the people making a game should earn the money it generates.
Ironroot is developer-owned. Its first project remains under wraps, described as a personal game with a small budget. Development progresses slowly with a small team and some part-time work. The studio represents another attempt to forge a better path after widespread industry layoffs.
