Following the cancellation of Project Blackbird at ZeniMax Online Studios, the developers who worked on it have started their own company, Sackbird Studios. This new studio is unique because it’s entirely owned and funded by its employees, meaning they have complete creative freedom and don’t rely on outside investors.
I’m really impressed with the team behind this studio! They’ve got ten developers, and everyone seems super experienced and dedicated to making really polished, high-quality games. Lee Ridout is the CEO, leading the charge, and David Worley is the COO, helping to keep everything running smoothly.
Worley explained in a statement that after working for large game companies, they wanted the ability to take creative chances without needing approval or focusing solely on short-term profits. Their new studio is fully owned and funded by its employees, meaning they’re accountable to a team who genuinely love making games.
I recently learned something really interesting about Sackbird Studios! It turns out the studio was actually born out of frustration. The developers were super bummed when their previous project, *Blackbird*, got canceled, and they decided to start their own company to make sure something like that never happens again. They’ve learned a lot from their time in the industry, including when they worked at ZeniMax Online Studios on *The Elder Scrolls Online*, and they’re determined to avoid the same mistakes this time around. It’s cool to see a studio built on a passion to do things differently!
Ridout shared that their experience at ZeniMax Online Studios was incredibly valuable, both professionally and personally. After learning that the *Blackbird* project was cancelled and many colleagues were losing their jobs, they were motivated to act. They decided the best way to safeguard their work and support their team was to establish a studio that prioritized creative freedom.
Sackbird Studios has begun development on a new game for PC and consoles, though they haven’t shared any specifics yet. Based on the studio’s past projects, it’s likely to be a fresh approach to the role-playing game (RPG) genre.
Project Blackbird was cancelled by Microsoft as part of a larger layoff affecting over 9,000 employees. Reports from July suggest Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer actually enjoyed playing an early version of the game so much that Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty had to take the controller from him.
I was really surprised to hear about the cancellation of Project Blackbird! Apparently, developers were too, because just a few months ago, early versions of the game completely wowed the Xbox executives. My source said the build they showed off was pretty recent, from back in March, which makes the cancellation even more puzzling.
Blackbird was planned as a game focused on multiplayer action, with players shooting and collecting loot while working together. Early reports suggested it would be similar to the game Destiny.
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2025-10-09 15:11