'Project Blackbird Was the Game I Had Waited My Entire Career to Create, and Having it Canceled Led to my Resignation', Confirms Ex ZOS Founder
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Key Points:
- Matt Firor, founder of ZeniMax Online Studios, confirmed that the cancellation of Project Blackbird directly led to his resignation from the company after several months of silence.
- Firor revealed he is not directly involved in any new game projects started by former ZeniMax Online Studios members laid off due to the cancellation, though he is advising some informally.
- Project Blackbird, a sci-fi third-person shooter set on the exoplanet Soteria with cooperative multiplayer missions, had been in development for over seven years with around 200 developers assigned before its cancellation.
- The project was canceled amid Microsoft-mandated layoffs aimed at funding AI investments, despite positive internal reception and high praise from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer after a playtest
