In addition to Rare's Everwild, it appears another canceled game at Xbox from the latest round of restructuring is a long-in-development MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios.
According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Microsoft has canceled "Blackbird," the codename for the project from makers of The Elder Scrolls Online. Schreier said the game had been in development since 2018. No other details about the project were revealed.
"As one illustration of just how sloppy and chaotic today's mass Xbox layoff has been, some employees at Zenimax Online Studios are now watching their Slack accounts abruptly get locked out. No message from HR, no word on whether they still have a job, just an ominous Slack deactivation," Schreier added.
On July 2, Microsoft confirmed mass layoffs across the company affecting thousands of people, including workers at Xbox. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed in a memo to staff that the cuts were necessary to propel Xbox forward to a healthy future.
"Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger," Spencer said, adding that Xbox was only able to get to this place due to some of the "tough decisions" it made previously.
He's likely referring to the previous rounds of mass layoffs and studio closures at Xbox over the years.
As for Rare's Everwild, the game was announced in 2019 and reportedly underwent multiple reboots over the course of its development leading up to its reported cancellation. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on any additional news to come from Microsoft's latest wave of cutbacks.
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According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Microsoft has canceled "Blackbird," the codename for the project from makers of The Elder Scrolls Online. Schreier said the game had been in development since 2018. No other details about the project were revealed.
"As one illustration of just how sloppy and chaotic today's mass Xbox layoff has been, some employees at Zenimax Online Studios are now watching their Slack accounts abruptly get locked out. No message from HR, no word on whether they still have a job, just an ominous Slack deactivation," Schreier added.
On July 2, Microsoft confirmed mass layoffs across the company affecting thousands of people, including workers at Xbox. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed in a memo to staff that the cuts were necessary to propel Xbox forward to a healthy future.
"Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger," Spencer said, adding that Xbox was only able to get to this place due to some of the "tough decisions" it made previously.
He's likely referring to the previous rounds of mass layoffs and studio closures at Xbox over the years.
As for Rare's Everwild, the game was announced in 2019 and reportedly underwent multiple reboots over the course of its development leading up to its reported cancellation. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on any additional news to come from Microsoft's latest wave of cutbacks.
Source