Former id Software staff establish employee-owned studio to make a new single-player shooter

Roughly 20 developers dismissed from id Software following Microsoft's July job cuts have reunited to establish Hidden Horses, an employee-owned studio based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The team revealed its debut project, Danger Pay, a single-player first-person shooter set on a deadly game show overseen by a sinister artificial intelligence host. To help get the business off the ground, the founders have published a pre-launch Kickstarter page alongside an 18-minute documentary outlining the studio's creation. [1][2]

The company operates as a cooperative where staff hold equal equity shares and use democratic governance to make major business and leadership choices. Hidden Horses cites the 1987 movie The Running Man and arcade classic Smash TV as inspirations for Danger Pay, promising arena-style action and sharp technical optimization. However, the studio has not yet revealed gameplay, specified platforms, or scheduled a release date, and its crowdfunding campaign is currently marked launching soon without an announced financial target. [1][2]

The venture follows severe reductions across Microsoft's gaming division, where Xbox eliminated around 1,600 jobs immediately out of roughly 3,200 cuts planned for its 2027 fiscal year. id Software was among the hardest hit, with reports citing 136 staff losses, which occurred a day before the studio released its Revelations expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages. Co-founder Andrew Willis said the team chose this model because creators deserve an ownership stake in what they build. [1]