John Romero says next shooter is inspired by Breath of the Wild

John Romero says the next shooter from Romero Games is in development using Unreal Engine 5.8. The project secured a new publishing partner after Microsoft pulled funding in 2025. Romero says that losing that funding forced the studio to downsize from 110 employees to five.

Photo: Andrey Metelev on Unsplash

Romero says the game is inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He wants to prioritize player exploration and freedom over typical objective-based first-person shooters. While he has not confirmed if the game features a full open world, he says players should be able to encounter unexpected things that change their original goals. Romero says he cannot disclose the name of the new publisher or a release date.