Overview
- Hidden Horses publicly launched this week as an employee‑owned studio made up of roughly 20 former id Software developers who were laid off in Microsoft’s July 2026 reductions.
- The studio announced its first game, Danger Pay, a single‑player arena FPS inspired by Smash TV and The Running Man, and has posted a Kickstarter page though the campaign date and platform plans are not yet set.
- Hidden Horses says every member owns a share and leaders are elected from within, a democratic structure the founders say will protect creative decisions from investor pressure and prioritise long‑term staff stability.
- Founders released a short documentary describing the emotional impact of the layoffs and named veterans on the team, highlighting the group’s decades of combined shooter experience as the reason they can work independently.
- Observers note the move fits a wider 2026 trend of laid‑off teams pursuing independent, crowdfunded models and carries clear risks for funding, benefits, and scale, so the industry should watch the Kickstarter and early hires for signs of viability.