id Software was reportedly pitching Perfect Dark, a John Wick game, and multiplayer Doom before layoffs hit

Before a wave of layoffs struck id Software, the studio behind the modern Doom series was reportedly exploring several new project ideas — including a revival of Perfect Dark, a John Wick-inspired action game, and a multiplayer-focused demon-slaying experience. None of these concepts appear to have made it into full production.

The details come from Rock Paper Shotgun, which reports that these were early-stage ideas being kicked around internally rather than greenlit projects. The Perfect Dark concept would have been a notable move for id, given that the franchise has historically been associated with Rare and Microsoft. The John Wick-inspired game and the multiplayer Doom variant suggest the studio was looking to branch out beyond its signature single-player shooter formula. With the layoffs now having taken place, the fate of all three concepts is uncertain.

id Software has been one of the most influential studios in first-person shooter history, responsible for the original Doom and Quake series, and more recently the critically acclaimed Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. The studio operates under Bethesda Softworks, which is itself owned by Microsoft following the Activision Blizzard acquisition era's broader Xbox consolidation. Microsoft has conducted significant layoffs across its gaming division over the past couple of years, and id has not been immune to those cuts.

Whether any of these early concepts survive the restructuring — or whether they were quietly shelved along with the staff who championed them — remains unknown. For now, fans of both Doom and the dormant Perfect Dark franchise are left wondering what might have been.