Speaking to multiple sources familiar with the project, IGN has learned that Blackbird was to be a new, sci-fi IP. Though it had been in development since 2018, the length of time it was taking to make the game was expected, as ZeniMax was building an entirely new game engine for it.
In the last year, sources tell IGN that pre-production was going well, and the team was actively ramping up in the hope of moving into full production soon. Xbox had approved the scaling up, and some individuals were being moved onto the project from other teams such as The Elder Scrolls Online, as well as some people absorbed from the shuttering last year of Arkane Austin.
One source recalled being told last year by head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty in a meeting that Xbox's closures of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games were done for the purpose of justifying increased headcount for other game studios that needed it, including ZeniMax Online Studios.
