Report: Xbox Execs Were ‘Blown Away’ By Cancelled ZeniMax Game Earlier This Year

Yesterday, one of the games that was reported to be cancelled as part of the Xbox layoffs was an unannounced ZeniMax Online Studios project, and according to a new report, employees were “stunned” to see it get shut down.

This is coming from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, who says the game (codenamed “Blackbird”) had actually received “rave reviews” from Xbox executives back in March according to “people familiar with the project”, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer apparently enjoyed it so much that he had to be pulled away in order to continue a meeting.

“During the demonstration in March, Spencer was enjoying the game so much that Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, had to pull the controller away so they could keep the meeting going, according to two people who were in the room.”

Schreier mentions that the project had endured some technical issues and a long period of development, but it was supposedly making good progress – and IGN’s report about the situation suggested something similar today too.

“In the last year, sources tell IGN that pre-production was going well, and the team was actively ramping up in the hope of moving into full production soon.”

Had it released, “Blackbird” was apparently going to be a third-person online looter-shooter, drawing comparisons to Bungie’s Destiny. It was said to place a big focus on “vertical movement” and embody a “sci-fi, noir aesthetic”, while the release window was provisionally set for 2028.

Staff apparently weren’t informed about why it was cancelled yesterday, but Schreier speculates that it could have something to do with cost (an “expensive project” being built on a brand-new game engine) and the fact that it was a “live-service game entering an oversaturated market” amidst a tricky time for live-service games in general.

Perhaps we’ll find out more over the coming days and weeks, but for now, our best wishes go out to all the staff who were involved with this project – its cancellation has seemingly come as a big shock to all of them.