Romero Video games’ canceled Xbox title “was nothing like Hotline Miami” says Brenda Romero

Replace: 12/30/2025 Brenda Romero has confirmed to PCGamesN that the Insider Gaming report misrepresents Romero Video games’ canceled title. “I don’t know the place this rumor got here from, however it’s wildly inaccurate,” she says. “There isn’t any priest within the recreation. It was nothing like Hotline Miami.” The unique story follows:

Once you assume Romero Video games, you most likely assume Doom. Though John and Brenda Romero have left Id Software program and the franchise behind, their legacy stays stronger than ever. With a robust hand in creating Wolfenstein and Doom, you might argue that they are accountable for creating the FPS style, not to mention inspiring the overwhelming majority of titles on our checklist of the most effective FPS video games. Nevertheless, gaming’s best energy couple (sorry, Dame Aylin and Isobel) cancelled their newest recreation earlier this yr after a swathe of Microsoft layoffs impacted their studio. Lastly, we’ve some details about what that recreation may have been.

Truthfully, I am simply grateful the Doom creators are nonetheless going, because the destiny of Romero Video games was at stake for some time. Microsoft’s layoffs had been in depth, and compelled a number of studios to close down. It pulled all funding for Romero Video games’ unique title, which had been in growth for ten years by that time. Many experiences urged that the Irish studio would shut down utterly within the wake of Microsoft’s cuts.

The sport it was engaged on, nonetheless, died at the moment. Showing atSalón del Videojuego de Madrid 2025, John Romero stated that Romero Video games’ new challenge has been “utterly redesigned,” however makes use of “lots of stuff” from the canceled title.

In accordance with leaks from Insider Gaming, the unique recreation was codenamed Hellslayer, and reportedly featured a priest battling demons. I do not know if I would personally substitute the Doomguy’s trusty energy armor for the divine safety of an all-powerful God, however it actually makes for a compelling recreation.

In accordance with the podcast, Hellslayer would have been a first-person tackle Hotline Miami, restarting ranges immediately after you died in an effort to present a frenetic tempo as you blast your manner by the satan’s minions.

Whereas Romero has promised some elements of this recreation will seem in his subsequent challenge, it is unclear if that shall be mechanics, setting, or the rest. We might have seen the final of our gun-toting priest, or perhaps he’ll seem in no matter Romero Video games is engaged on subsequent. Let’s simply hope this one does not take a decade to come back to fruition.