John Romero reboots canceled shooter with new publisher, 15-person team

John Romero has secured a new publisher for the game his studio lost funding for earlier this summer, he told Video Games Chronicle at Gamescom Asia — but the project has been re-scoped from a planned team of more than 100 people down to roughly 15-16.

That's the hard arithmetic of the turnaround. Romero Games came close to shutting down entirely earlier this year when employees reported the studio was "closing down." Romero denied those reports at the time. He did confirm, though, that an unnamed publisher had been funding the studio's game and pulled that funding abruptly.

Some laid-off employees named Microsoft as the publisher. Romero never confirmed it. He told VGC people could infer the identity from public information, but declined to name the company himself.

What does the funding collapse change for the team?

Most of the staff is gone. Romero confirmed he had to let the majority of employees go while the company searched for a new publishing partner. What remains is a core team about one-seventh the size of the original plan — 15-16 people instead of the 110 the project was built around.

The game itself is a casualty too. Romero said the current title is a complete redesign of the concept, because a team of 15 cannot make the same game that needed 110. The original design doesn't survive the budget cut; the concept does, rebuilt from the ground up.

The project was never officially revealed, but LinkedIn posts from former employees indicate it was a shooter.

Despite losing most of his team and most of his original design, Romero struck a notably upbeat tone in the interview: "we're just super happy."

Why a smaller team suits Romero

The reduced headcount appears to be something Romero welcomes, at least in part. He told VGC that large teams pull him away from the work he actually enjoys.

"I've had teams of that size [100+ staff] before, but I don't like it when I'm just in meetings all day," he said. "I like to make the game, designing by hand, and that's what's happening right now — making every single decision, working in Unreal Editor, making stuff, designing things, directing all of the rest of the people on the team."

The technical detail matters here: Romero is working directly in Unreal Editor, making design decisions hands-on rather than managing through meetings. For a developer whose reputation was built on the hands-on design of the early id Software era, the structure marks a return to that mode of production after years of larger-scale studio leadership.

What happens next

The new publisher remains unnamed, the game remains unannounced, and no release window has been given. The practical questions for anyone tracking the studio: when Romero Games formally reveals the redesigned project, and whether the new publishing arrangement carries it all the way to ship — after the last one collapsed mid-development.

Watch for an official announcement, likely with the publisher's name attached, as the re-scoped game moves toward its first public showing.