Xbox’s mass layoffsa couple of days ago shocked the gaming industry, as some studios were shuttered, several games were cancelled, and many lost their jobs. Even video game legendJohn Romero’s studio was not safefrom this culling. WhileEverwildand thePerfect Dark rebootwere the two biggest games that were cancelled,ZeniMax Online’s MMO was also made to stop development.
While the industry is still reeling from this, it seems developers at ZeniMax Online were shocked to learn of the MMO’s cancellation, according toBloomberg’s Jason Schreier. While news of the mass layoffs was circulated in advance, it seems the studio devs thought they might be safe as Xbox boss Phil Spencer loved the game. Ultimately, it didn’t matter.
ZeniMax Online’s MMO Was Cancelled Despite Phil Spencer Loving It
Project Blackbird, as it was called, started development in 2018 as a third-person shooter, with a staff of 300 devs. It incorporated agile movement and acrobatics with a focus on maneuverability. According to sources, the project was a hit with the top brass even in early stages, so everyone was surprised that it was cancelled.
Sources also said that Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer loved the game so much that during a demo in March, Xbox Games Studios head Matt Booty had to grab the controller out of his hands, as he was getting them late for a meeting. Obviously, the devs at ZeniMax Online saw this as a positive sign, so the heartbreak was even more tragic when their project got cancelled.
Fast forward to Wednesday, the team realised that the executive producer and creative director were no longer on the internal Slack channel, after which they were told that project Blackbird had been “shelved indefinitely.” They soon lost access to Slack entirely, and weren’t even sure if they had jobs anymore.
It’s been a heartbreaking and frustrating few days for Microsoft studios and employees. Even projects that were seemingly seen as potential successes have been shuttered for no reason. Meanwhile, Phil Spencer still has a job despite overseeing so many layoffs and cancellations.
