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An Unannounced MMO From The Elder Scrolls Online Developer Has Been Canceled by Xbox After Seven Years of Work

On Wednesday, Microsoft canceled ZeniMax Online Studios' unannounced MMO Blackbird amid Xbox layoffs, reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.
Prompted by cost-cutting efforts at Microsoft, nearly 9,000 employees across Xbox and ZeniMax were laid off, marking the fourth major gaming workforce reduction in 18 months.
Sources indicate that Blackbird, in development since 2018 with over 200 developers, was in pre-production and considered highly ambitious by its Creative Director.
Following the project's cancellation, ZeniMax Online's Blackbird team was laid off, Matt Firor stepped down, and focus returned to Elder Scrolls Online.
In the wider portfolio, the 9,000 staff cuts also claimed projects like Rare's Everwild and possibly Perfect Dark, fueling doubts over Xbox's development roadmap.

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Bloomberg

Lean Left

Xbox Executives Were Blown Away by an Upcoming Game. Then They Canceled It.

Blackbird, a new game from ZeniMax Online Studios, impressed Xbox boss Phil Spencer earlier this year

11 hours ago·United States

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Tech Radar

Center

An unannounced MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer has been canceled by Xbox after seven years of work

Microsoft has canceled the unannounced massively multiplayer game (MMO) from The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Game Studios.

18 hours ago·United Kingdom

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IGN

Center

Unannounced MMO From The Elder Scrolls Online Dev Canceled, Veteran Studio Head Steps Down Amid Microsoft Layoffs

Matt Firor, boss of The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios, has stepped down amid the cancellation of the studio’s unannounced MMO.

1 day ago·United States

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TwistedVoxel

Microsoft Execs Were Reportedly "Blown Away" By Cancelled Zenimax Online Studios MMORPG/Looter Shooter

Microsoft executives were “blown away” by the now cancelled MMORPG/Looter Shooter from Zenimax Online Studios, according to a new report. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier took to the gaming enthusiast Reset Era forums to corroborate insider SneakersSO’s earlier comment on the cancelled Zenimax Online Studios MMORPG/Looter Shooter. The latter claimed that it was “fucking incredible”, and that it had received some of the best reactions from playtesters …

11 hours ago

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ActuGaming.net

Zenimax Online Studios Lost Its Director, the Mmo on Which the Studio Was Working Was Moving Well

ActuGaming.net ZeniMax Online Studios loses its director, the MMO on which the studio was working was progressing well In addition to Everwild and Perfect Dark, he fell on numerous unannounced projects at Xbox. The next MMO of ZeniMax Online Studios is one of them. The studio behind The Elder Scrolls Online has been working on a new game for seven years now before it was abruptly stopped by the redundancies announced yesterday. In addition to th…

14 hours ago

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GamesIndustry.biz

ZeniMax Online Studios head Matt Firor to depart after 18 years

Following the announcement of the closure of Zenimax Online Studios' long-in-development MMO yesterday as part of the sweeping Microsoft layoffs, studio president Matt Firor has announced he will be leaving the company later this month.

15 hours ago

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