Microsoft has cancelled Zenimax On-line Studios’ new MMO challenge, codenamed Blackbird, as a part of the continuing layoffs, based on stories.
Regardless of Phil Spencer himself telling workers “our platform, {hardware}, and recreation roadmap have by no means appeared stronger,” the fourth huge spherical of layoffs hitting Xbox studios in 18 months is coming. Stories have already emerged that Uncommon’s Everwild has been cancelled as a part of this course of, and now stories have emerged that Zenimax On-line Studios’ subsequent recreation has additionally joined that checklist.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier posted on BlueSky, saying, “The brand new MMORPG challenge from Zenimax On-line Studios, maker of Elder Scrolls On-line, has been canceled as a part of the Xbox layoffs,” including, “The challenge, code-named Blackbird, had been in growth since 2018.”
Schrier additionally stories that workers at Zenimax On-line Studios have been locked out of their Slack accounts: “No message from HR, no phrase on whether or not they nonetheless have a job, simply an ominous Slack deactivation.” Whereas unconfirmed, it seems that the studio can also face layoffs along with this cancellation.
“Jason Schreier is getting these updates nearly quicker than I, an impacted worker at Zenimax On-line Studios, am,” one dev writes, “which is making a borderline slapstick layer to this expertise.”
Elder Scrolls On-line was first launched in 2014 and has had an growth launch yearly since 2017. As for what’s subsequent for the MMO and the studio behind it, we’ll proceed to report on the state of affairs because it unfolds.
There may be, sadly, nonetheless extra information to come back out of Xbox Recreation Studios at the moment.
