ZeniMax's 'Blackbird' Grounded Before Takeoff: Did Microsoft Just Clip Spider-Man's Wings?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
ZeniMax Online's ambitious aerial shooter, 'Blackbird,' has been canned by Microsoft despite positive internal reception, leaving many wondering if the bean counters are sucking the joy out of gaming. It's a real shame that an exciting prospect has been grounded before it could even take off.
Right, so the team behind *The Elder Scrolls Online* were cooking up something pretty special – a high-flying, loot-shooter called 'Blackbird'. Think Blade Runner meets Spider-Man, with a dash of Destiny thrown in for good measure. Sounds bonkers, doesn't it? Well, according to a report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, we won't be seeing it anytime soon, if ever.
Apparently, 'Blackbird' had been in development since 2018 (codenamed Kestrel back then), envisioned as a new franchise alongside *ESO*. Picture this: grappling hooks, double jumps, aerial dashes, wall-climbing – the whole shebang. Schreier reckons the team had ballooned to around 300 people by March, and even Xbox bigwigs Phil Spencer and Matt Booty were reportedly blown away by a demo. Spencer had to be *pulled away* – that’s how good it was, apparently.
But here's the kicker: despite all that positivity, ZeniMax Online Studios head Matt Firor has reportedly left the company, and 'Blackbird' has been 'indefinitely shelved.' Bloody hell! Microsoft, flush with cash (tens of billions, no less), has decided to wield the layoff axe, citing 'discipline' and 'continued success.' Makes you wonder what their definition of success actually *is*.
Now, I'm not saying Microsoft's decisions are always baffling (okay, sometimes I am), but this one stings. Live service games are a gamble, sure, and Schreier pointed out that they were building the engine alongside the game itself (which is always a recipe for potential chaos), but from the sounds of it, 'Blackbird' had something unique going for it. It’s a shame, really. The gaming world could always use a bit more innovation, and it seems like a potentially great concept has been lost before it got a chance to fly.
Of course, there is always the question of what happens to all the assets now that Blackbird has been shelved. Maybe another studio can dust it off and give it a fair shake some time down the road. But for now, it's a hard pill to swallow for gamers hoping for something different.
Best of luck to all the talented folks affected by these layoffs. Hopefully, they'll land on their feet soon. (Maybe even with grappling hooks.)
Tags: ZeniMax, Microsoft, Blackbird, Layoffs, Gaming Industry
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun