BREAKING: The new MMORPG project from Zenimax Online Studios, maker of Elder Scrolls Online, has been canceled as part of the Xbox layoffs, sources tell Bloomberg News. The project, code-named Blackbird, had been in development since 2018. Still more news to come this morning.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2 July 2025 at 16:05
- Rare becomes the Sea of Thieves Studio
- Zenimax becomes The Elder Scrolls Online Studio.
What's the excuse here? MMOs take a long time to develop, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the development time on this one...







