Romero Games' canceled Xbox title was reportedly Hotline Miami with priests

When you think Romero Games, you probably think Doom. Although John and Brenda Romero have left Id Software and the franchise behind, their legacy remains stronger than ever. With a strong hand in creating Wolfenstein and Doom, you could argue that they're responsible for creating the FPS genre, let alone inspiring the vast majority of titles on our list of the best FPS games. However, gaming's greatest power couple (sorry, Dame Aylin and Isobel) cancelled their latest game earlier this year after a swathe of Microsoft layoffs impacted their studio. Finally, we have some information about what that game could have been.

Honestly, I'm just thankful the Doom creators are still going, as the fate of Romero Games was at stake for a while. Microsoft's layoffs were extensive, and forced multiple studios to shut down. It pulled all funding for Romero Games' exclusive title, which had been in development for ten years by that point. Many reports suggested that the Irish studio would shut down completely in the wake of Microsoft's cuts.

The game it was working on, however, died at that time. Appearing at
Salón del Videojuego de Madrid 2025, John Romero said that Romero Games' new project has been "completely redesigned," but uses "a lot of stuff" from the canceled title.

According to leaks from Insider Gaming, the original game was codenamed Hellslayer, and featured a priest battling demons. I don't know if I'd personally substitute the Doomguy's trusty power armor for the divine protection of an omnipotent God, but it certainly makes for a compelling game.

According to the podcast, Hellslayer would be a first-person take on Hotline Miami, restarting levels instantly after you died in order to provide a frenetic pace as you blast your way through the devil's minions.

While Romero has promised some parts of this game will appear in his next project, it's unclear if that will be mechanics, setting, or anything else. We may have seen the last of our gun-toting priest, or maybe he'll appear in whatever Romero Games is working on next. Let's just hope this one doesn't take a decade to come to fruition.