Matt Firor, the previous studio head and founding father of ZeniMax On-line Studios, has confirmed his resignation from the corporate as a direct results of the cancelation of the studio’s unannounced recreation, Venture Blackbird.
In a LinkedIn submit right this moment, Firor mirrored on the final yr and confirmed his departure again in July, which had already been rumored after he stepped down from his management function final yr. “Venture Blackbird was the sport I had waited my complete profession to create, and having it canceled led to my resignation. My coronary heart and ideas are all the time with the impacted staff members, a lot of whom I had labored 20+ years with, and all of whom have been probably the most devoted, amazingly gifted group of builders within the business.”
Firor additionally made clear he isn’t concerned in any of the initiatives which were began by former ZeniMax On-line members who have been laid off from the corporate round this time. He added that he’s advising a few of them “informally” and confirmed they have been “in good palms.”
He concluded by stating that whereas he would not know what he’ll do subsequent, he is at the moment each advising some initiatives and startups unofficially, in addition to investing in some small groups. “However I’ve not but severely contemplated spinning up a brand new improvement studio.”
Venture Blackbird was an unannounced MMORPG that was in improvement at ZeniMax On-line Studios, however was canceled by Xbox in the summertime of 2025 as part of the layoff of lots of of people at Xbox Sport Studios, and 1000’s Microsoft-wide. Blackbird would have been a model new, sci-fi IP that had been in improvement since 2018. In July, sources chatting with IGN advised us that the venture was going effectively and was about to maneuver into full manufacturing with Xbox’s approval to scale up the staff. Blackbird’s cancelation led to the layoffs of each member of the staff.
Firor based ZeniMax On-line Studios underneath ZeniMax Media in 2007 after 10 years at Mythic Leisure, the place he was a founding worker. There, he oversaw the creation of The Elder Scrolls On-line, which launched in 2014 and continues to be supported, with the newest main growth Gold Highway releasing in January 2024. Firor was additionally in cost when mother or father firm ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft in 2021.
Following the cancelation of Blackbird, ZeniMax On-line Studios stays in operation, persevering with work on The Elder Scrolls On-line underneath the management of Joseph Burba, a 13-year veteran of the studio.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.
