Following the announcement of the closure of Zenimax Online Studios’ long-in-development MMO yesterday as a part of the sweeping Microsoft layoffs, studio president Matt Firor has introduced he will likely be leaving the corporate later this month.(*18*)
In a statement shared by the Zenimax Online Studios account on X, Firor stated that the studio and The Elder Scrolls Online will likely be “in nice palms” underneath the route of latest studio head Jo Burba, government producer Susan Kath and recreation director Wealthy Lambert.(*18*)
“Whereas I will not be engaged on the sport anymore, I will likely be cheering you on and including to the 1000’s of hours I’ve already spent in-game,” he added.(*18*)
“There are lots of extra tales to be informed, adventures to be had, and I do know this superb neighborhood will carry that shared legacy and success forwards.”(*18*)
Firor has headed the studio since its founding in 2007. The studio is liable for The Elder Scrolls Online, which launched in 2014.(*18*)
Yesterday, Bloomberg reported the cancellation of an MMORPG codenamed ‘Blackbird’ that had been in growth at Zenimax Online Studios since 2018. Since then, many workers on the studio have introduced on social media that they’re now in search of work after being laid off.(*18*)
“I actually do not know what to say,” stated artistic companies supervisor Landon Hood on LinkedIn. “I’m nonetheless processing. I poured my soul and fervour into this firm, and we created some AMAZING issues collectively. I’m completely heartbroken that that is the way it ended.”(*18*)
Sources informed IGN that pre-production on the brand new MMO had apparently been going nicely, and that “the crew was actively ramping up within the hope of shifting into full manufacturing quickly”. Some individuals had reportedly been moved onto the undertaking from Arkane Austin, which was closed in Might 2024.(*18*)
Final 12 months, Firor mirrored on ten years of The Elder Scrolls Online in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “We’re nonetheless very profitable,” he stated. “We simply introduced we’re about to cross the $2 billion lifetime for the sport, which is frankly superb and an enormous milestone. It is going nice.”(*18*)