After Xbox canceled the ambitious project in 2025, Romero Games has secured a new publisher, rebuilt part of its team, and reimagined the game.

The next game from legendary Doom creator John Romero is back on track after a difficult year. Following Xbox's decision to cancel the project in 2025, Romero Games has secured a new publishing partner, giving the shooter another opportunity to reach players.

Founded by John Romero and his wife, game designer Brenda Romero, Romero Games has worked on titles including Gunman Taco Truck, Empire of Sin, and the Sigil episodes featured in Doom + Doom II. The studio had planned to take a major step into AAA shooter development with support from Xbox Game Studios before the project was dropped during the company's widespread layoffs.

The cancellation also forced Romero Games to reduce its workforce significantly, leaving the studio struggling to secure the funding needed to continue development.

However, things have taken a positive turn. In a recent interview, John Romero confirmed that the studio had reached an agreement with a new publisher. He also revealed that the team has started bringing back some of the developers who previously lost their jobs.

The studio's situation was particularly challenging in the months following the cancellation. Romero Games went from approximately 110 employees to just five people while searching for a way to keep the project alive.

Fortunately, the studio retained ownership of the game's intellectual property, allowing it to explore new opportunities with potential publishing partners.

Romero confirmed that a deal had been secured but kept the publisher's identity and announcement plans under wraps. No official reveal date or additional publishing details have been shared yet.

As of October 2026, Romero Games has grown to approximately 15 developers. With a much smaller team than originally planned, the studio has also reconsidered the game's direction.

Rather than continuing with the original vision, the developers are creating a substantially different shooter while reusing valuable assets from the previous project. These include character designs, artwork, weapons, and existing code.

This approach gives the team a useful head start while allowing it to build something better suited to its current resources.

Although the new game will look different from what was originally planned under Xbox, the decision to reuse existing creative and technical work means that much of the previous development effort will not go to waste.

For Romero Games, finding a new publisher represents an important opportunity to rebuild momentum after an uncertain period. The return of some former developers is also an encouraging sign for a studio that once faced the possibility of losing the entire project.

The new shooter's official identity, publisher, and release plans remain unknown. Still, its return to development is promising news for fans of John Romero's work and anyone interested in seeing what the experienced team can create with a fresh direction.