Developers that worked on Zenimax Online’s massively successful MMO The Elder Scrolls Online have opened a new studio after being laid off from the company during this year’s destructive Microsoft layoffs.
Prior to being laid off, a number of Zenimax Online Studios employees spent years working on Project Blackbird, a project that reportedly had extremely positive playtest sessions and was loved by Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
The employees’ new studio is cheekily named Sackbird, a reference to their slain MMO project and their firing from Zenimax Online Studios, despite Xbox boasting about the state of its gaming portfolio.
Sackbird Studios COO, and former ESO developer, David Worley announced the news of the new development team earlier this week, confirming that the studio is “fully employee-owned and funded, which means we only answer to people who are passionate about games.”
With no outside investors and full creative control, the team is focused on building great games—on their own terms”, as the announcement puts it,” Worley said.
“After years in AAA, we wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets.”
Sackbird Studios’ founding members are all employees and leads from Elder Scrolls Online, but it’s not known what project the team are working on. Right now, in the team’s early stages, their debut game is in “active development”, but it’ll likely be years until an announcement.
“We’re grateful for our time at ZeniMax Online Studios; it shaped us as developers and as people,” announced Sackbird Studios CEO and former ESO studio director Lee Ridout. “When I learned that Blackbird was being cancelled and a lot of people were losing their jobs, it lit a fire. We realized the best way to protect our craft—and our team—was to create a studio where creative independence isn’t negotiable.”
Very little is known about what Project Blackbird was at Zenimax Online Studios, although reports have stated that it was supposed to be an answer to Bungie’s Destiny series, which certainly could do with some competition. It’s also not known if Sackbird Studios will be attempting to recapture the magic it reportedly made at Zenimax – within allowed guidelines – but the team has stated there is “no mandate to chase trends”. An original MMO for once? That could be nice.
