A new indie studio formed from former ZeniMax employees, with leads from Elder Scrolls Online and Project Blackbird, has been revealed.
Zenimax Online Studios, formed in 2007, had a massive following thanks, in part, to The Elder Scrolls Online. The MMORPG has continued to bring in new players daily, selling almost $2 billion in sales since 2014. Unfortunately, due to the latest Microsoft layoffs, over 300 employees from the company were let go. This includes some who worked on a yet-to-be-revealed new IP called Project Blackbird, which Xbox cancelled. However, it seems some of the laid-off crew have come together to form a new, employee-owned indie studio.
Sackbird Studios Officially Announced, Run by Former ZeniMax Online Leads
In a post on the new studio’s blog, former leads at ZeniMax Online Studios have formed Sackbird Studios. The crew consists of 10 former employees of the Bethesda-owned studio. Many of them worked on The Elder Scrolls Online and the cancelled Project Blackbird. Furthermore, it is entirely employee-owned and has already been funded for multiple years. In a statement, Sackbird Studios COO David Worley said,
“After years in AAA, we wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets,” states Worley. “We’re fully employee-owned and funded, which means we only answer to people who are passionate about games.”
Another statement, this time from CEO Lee Ridout, states,
“We’re grateful for our time at ZeniMax Online Studios; it shaped us as developers and as people,” said 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.”
At the moment, the team is not ready to share its first title, but promises that it will launch on PC and consoles. While the team is grateful for the time they spent at ZeniMax Online Studios, it seems they aren’t pulling any stops to ensure its work gets out of the door. It’ll be excited to see what Sackbird Studios creates, especially if it takes from the cancelled Project Blackbird.
Are you happy to hear about Sackbird Studios? What do you think? Let us know in the comments, on the forums, and on the official Insider Gaming Discord!
For more on Elder Scrolls, check out our articles on Online’s crossplay and a potential leak for The Elder Scrolls 6. Make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
