I'm sure variations of this story been posted here a dozen times by now, but it simply cannot be overstated just how devastating a blow this is to those of us who've been there since the very beginning.
Doom, Doom II, and Quake (powered by id Tech "1") were among of the first games I ever played. They were utterly transformative experiences that unlocked so many possibilities for the gaming community, for developers, modders, and players alike. We wouldn't have Half Life 1 without the id Tech-based GoldSrc engine. I myself used to make Doom WADs back in the day, as it was one of the few hobbies my poor ass could afford and my potato PC wouldn't protest. And I still have a friend today whom I first met at a Doom LAN party.
So, to see id Tech staff unceremoniously slaughtered in the dark like this, as if it were the ending of E1M8, well, it just breaks my heart.
I know the Frankfurt branch still exists, but let's not kid ourselves. Without the institutional knowledge and talent from the Dallas-Richardson teams, id Tech 8 is effectively end-of-life, and there will never be a id Tech 9. We know this because Microsoft reportedly wants to gut the engine and replace it with Call of Duty's IW engine, a 25-year-old fork of id Tech's own code.
Microsoft: the demons who killed the Doom Slayer.