John Romero's Canceled Shooter Is Back On Again, Sort Of

Earlier this year, John Romero--the creator of Doom and Quake--announced that his next first-person shooter had been canceled. Although Romero and his company, Romero Games, didn't confirm that the project was a victim of Microsoft's layoffs and cutbacks, one of Romero Games' laid-off employees did. However, it appears the still-unnamed shooter isn't completely dead, according to Romero himself.

During his appearance at Salón del Videojuego de Madrid (via Eurogamer), Romero confirmed that the project is back on, and that it's been given a fresh redesign.

"We're not starting at ground zero," said Romero. "We can take pieces out of and put into a brand-new indie game. We have a lot of stuff we can put in the game. The design is completely different, but the team is very excited about the new design."

Romero clarified that the current incarnation isn't the same exact title as his previous project, but "it incorporates a lot of the elements" and it's a much smaller game in this version. He also played coy about what the gameplay will be like with cryptic hints that he has "never played a game like it," and "the things that you do in it, will be new to people, the way that going through Elden Ring was a really new experience ... That's the idea behind what we are doing in this game."

Although Romero Games confirmed its survival last summer, some of Microsoft's internal studios hit by layoffs were not as lucky. Microsoft canceled Perfect Dark and closed its developer, The Initiative. Microsoft also canceled Everwild and a new MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios.

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