Many Companies Eye Revival of John Romero’s New FPS After Microsoft Reportedly Pulled Funding — “If You Move and Start Working with Somebody Else, They Get $50 Million for Free”

“We’re still figuring out what we’re going to do with our big game,” Romero says. He emphasised that Romero Games retains full ownership of the IP and all code: “We own the IP, we own the code, we own everything about the game.” He reiterated the studio’s earlier point that several companies remain interested in the title, and warned that when you’ve invested years and, for example, $50 million into a project, moving the work to a new partner effectively hands them $50 million in completed assets for free.

Romero adds the project was roughly “midway” through development. He noted that even if another publisher doesn’t pick it up, the studio still possesses substantial assets — “$50 million worth of assets” — that could be reused to accelerate a different project, effectively shortening the road to finishing a new title.

“Save them Bucky”: Fans are rallying after Palworld and Pocketpair Publishing asked Romero Games about the defunded project — one commenter wrote, “Would love to hear more about this project if possible.”