Elder Scrolls Online Studio President Stepping Down Following Microsoft Layoffs

Matt Firor is stepping down as President of Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios. ZeniMax is one of many subsidiaries to feel the impact of Microsoft’s latest sweeping round of layoffs, a move that has come with its fair share of project cancellations on top of cutting staff. While work on The Elder Scrolls Online will continue, it will go on without the leadership of one of its studio’s founders.

As news began to break about the Microsoft layoffs, it came out that an unannounced MMO from the Elder Scrolls Online studio was canceled as part of the cutbacks. The game, codenamed Project Blackbird, was reportedly in development since 2018, though now it won’t ever see the light of day if rumors are true. Microsoft has yet to confirm that information, but it has since come out that ZeniMax Online is undergoing some changes.

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The official ZeniMax Online Studios Twitter account posted a statement from Firor on July 2, revealing the co-founder and President will leave the company later this month. Firor is not alone, as Microsoft plans to let go of up to 9,000 employees across multiple divisions. How deep the firings extend into Bethesda and, beyond that, into the Elder Scrolls Online team, is unclear for now, but several leaders, including Game Director Rich Lambert and Executive Producer Susan Kath, are staying onboard. The statement makes it seem like Microsoft has no plans to dial things back for the game, but the change in leadership is a shocking one, given Firor’s long history with the company.

President and Co-Founder Mat Firor Is Leaving ZeniMax Online Studios

Before his announcement about leaving ZeniMax Online, Firor had discussed big plans for the studio’s flagship game. Firor and Lambert had recently confirmed that the team was working on an Elder Scrolls Online crossplay function, although there was no clear timeline for that project. The studio has not announced if the recent layoffs will affect this feature or any other development plans. Still, there’s a good chance fans could see it in the future, now that ZeniMax seems to be focusing on The Elder Scrolls following the cancellation of Project Blackbird.

Microsoft and ZeniMax are not the only companies undergoing some dramatic corporate restructuring at the moment. On July 2, Krafton announced it was replacing the entire Subnautica 2 leadership team, and the specific reasons why are not yet evident. There are big changes happening across the gaming industry this summer, and it seems no studio is immune.