John Romero has said his previously cancelled shooter is back in development with a new publisher and a redesigned, smaller-scale vision that he describes as unlike anything he’s played before.
John Romero’s cancelled shooter is officially back in development, with the iconic Doom co-creator confirming that the project has “survived” after losing its publisher earlier this year.
Speaking at Salón del Videojuego de Madrid, Romero told attendees that Romero Games has secured a path forward for the project, which was shelved during the wave of industry layoffs that saw multiple publishers pull funding from in-progress titles.
While Romero never publicly named the former publishing partner, the timing and circumstances suggested a connection to Microsoft’s summer cuts.
Romero said the revived game has undergone a “complete redesign” and is now a smaller, more tightly focused project – but one the 110-strong team is more excited about.
He explained: “We’re not starting at ground zero. We can take pieces out of [the previous version] and put them into a brand-new indie game.”
The new direction allows senior developers to take a more hands-on role, something Romero described as creatively energising.
He said: “We get to do the thing we are really good at, ourselves.”
Although he avoided specifics, Romero confirmed the project remains a shooter and hinted that its structure leans toward discovery-driven design.
He compared the sense of novelty and atmosphere he wants to capture to exploring Elden Ring for the first time – not in mechanics, but in how players encounter unfamiliar spaces and surprising interactions.
He teased: “I’ve never played a game like it.”
The comeback marks a significant moment for Romero Games, which previously reassured fans it would continue operating despite the cancellation.
With a new publishing deal seemingly secured and a redesigned vision in place, the studio’s mystery shooter is back on track, though fans will need to wait a bit longer to learn what Romero’s next world looks like.
Doom creator John Romero’s cancelled game has ‘survived’
