John Romero: Doom’s Architect Fighting His Next Big Level
By Tuin
Sep 20, 2025
Every now and then a name echoes through gaming history so loud it still shakes the ground years later. John Romero is one of those names. He co-designed Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake. He shaped what it means to roam, shoot, fear, triumph in a virtual world. But Romero isn’t just living in the past. He’s still in the fight, still dreaming big.
Romero started young, tinkering with games on an Apple II, working his way through ports, pixel art, level editors.
He co-founded id Software. With Carmack and others he helped invent the first‐person shooter genre: the corridors of Wolfenstein 3D, the demons of Doom, the polygony chaos of Quake. Level editors, deathmatch, mods, multiplayer insanity — these weren’t just features, they were revolutions.
After id came ups and downs. Daikatana turned into a cautionary legend. Romero founded multiple studios, chased mobile, indie, social games. Not always smooth sailing, but always moving.
Romero Games, the studio he co-leads with Brenda Romero, is working on a new first-person shooter using Unreal Engine 5. It was announced in 2022.
Here’s the twist: in 2025 the funding for that project was pulled. Reports say publisher funding was cut, probably tied to large layoffs happening across Microsoft and its game studios. Some staff were let go. Rumors flew the studio might be closing.
Romero responded: no, the studio isn’t closed. They’re trying to find new publishing partners to bring the FPS back to life. They’re evaluating new opportunities. The team is hurting, but Romero’s not stepping away.
Romero recently paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne after his passing. He said that Doom’s soul was built in part by heavy metal — without Black Sabbath, he thinks the game might not have had the same blood, the same roar. Music shaped his vision. It still does.
He’s also appearing at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga (Sept 25-28, 2025) as a guest of honor. Panel topics include “The DNA of the shooter” and cultural legacy. Romero’s legacy, but also his ongoing dialogue with what shooters are.
Romero is a bridge. He built the old foundations of FPS. Now he’s trying to walk forward on those tattered beams, rebuilding when necessary. The pulled funding isn’t just financial; it’s symbolic. The industry that grew on DOOM’s blood, on modders and level editors, is now wrestled by corporate decisions.
Yet Romero’s response shows a grit rooted in creation. He’s not just nostalgic. He knows people remember Doom not just as a game, but as feeling. He’s trying to restore that feeling, or at least preserve the possibility of it.
Because Romero’s journey mirrors big trends. Financial instability even for legacy names. Publishers pulling back. Creators having to hustle for freedom. Also, Romero’s voice reminds us that sound design, music, identity, mod-ability, community still matter — not just graphics or loot.
If Romero’s next FPS gets made, it might not just be another shooter. It could be a statement. About where the genre could go, what values it can hold onto, and how its past can inform its future.
Romero started young, tinkering with games on an Apple II, working his way through ports, pixel art, level editors.
He co-founded id Software. With Carmack and others he helped invent the first‐person shooter genre: the corridors of Wolfenstein 3D, the demons of Doom, the polygony chaos of Quake. Level editors, deathmatch, mods, multiplayer insanity — these weren’t just features, they were revolutions.
After id came ups and downs. Daikatana turned into a cautionary legend. Romero founded multiple studios, chased mobile, indie, social games. Not always smooth sailing, but always moving.
The fight he’s in now
Romero Games, the studio he co-leads with Brenda Romero, is working on a new first-person shooter using Unreal Engine 5. It was announced in 2022.
Here’s the twist: in 2025 the funding for that project was pulled. Reports say publisher funding was cut, probably tied to large layoffs happening across Microsoft and its game studios. Some staff were let go. Rumors flew the studio might be closing.
Romero responded: no, the studio isn’t closed. They’re trying to find new publishing partners to bring the FPS back to life. They’re evaluating new opportunities. The team is hurting, but Romero’s not stepping away.
Romero, metal and identity
Romero recently paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne after his passing. He said that Doom’s soul was built in part by heavy metal — without Black Sabbath, he thinks the game might not have had the same blood, the same roar. Music shaped his vision. It still does.
He’s also appearing at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga (Sept 25-28, 2025) as a guest of honor. Panel topics include “The DNA of the shooter” and cultural legacy. Romero’s legacy, but also his ongoing dialogue with what shooters are.
What this moment says
Romero is a bridge. He built the old foundations of FPS. Now he’s trying to walk forward on those tattered beams, rebuilding when necessary. The pulled funding isn’t just financial; it’s symbolic. The industry that grew on DOOM’s blood, on modders and level editors, is now wrestled by corporate decisions.
Yet Romero’s response shows a grit rooted in creation. He’s not just nostalgic. He knows people remember Doom not just as a game, but as feeling. He’s trying to restore that feeling, or at least preserve the possibility of it.
Why this matters for 3D shooters
Because Romero’s journey mirrors big trends. Financial instability even for legacy names. Publishers pulling back. Creators having to hustle for freedom. Also, Romero’s voice reminds us that sound design, music, identity, mod-ability, community still matter — not just graphics or loot.
If Romero’s next FPS gets made, it might not just be another shooter. It could be a statement. About where the genre could go, what values it can hold onto, and how its past can inform its future.