Xbox layoffs affected both the ESO team and Zenimax and Rich Lambert said it was an emotional time.
Later that same evening journalist Jason Schreier from Bloomberg confirmed something even more disappointing. Zenimax’s new project which had been kept secret under the code name Project Blackbird was also canceled. At first no one knew much about what this game was supposed to be but leaks started spreading online. The leaks claimed that Project Blackbird was going to be a sci-fi shooter with a unique style inspired by Blade Runner the classic science fiction movie. For fans who were waiting for something new and different from Zenimax this cancellation felt like a huge loss.
Even after this tough news the Elder Scrolls Online team kept working. They continued to add new content and features to ESO. Players got exciting updates such as swimming mounts (something people had been asking for a long time) and scribing a new system to make the game deeper and more customizable. Despite all these updates one big question remained how were the layoffs affecting the studio behind the scenes.
To get answers an interviewer sat down with Rich Lambert the new studio game director at Zenimax. He had only stepped into this big leadership role in mid-August just weeks after the layoffs. It was clear that he had a lot to say about the impact of these cuts on both the company and the people who worked there.
According to Rich Lambert the layoffs in July were some of the most severe in game development history. Losing 9,000 people in one move shook the entire industry. It wasn’t just Project Blackbird that was shut down another big game also got canceled. Ben Jones who was the game director for Project Blackbird officially confirmed that the project would no longer move forward. Around the same time Rare the studio behind Sea of Thieves had to cancel its own upcoming action-adventure game called Everwild. For many this felt like a sign that Xbox was pulling back on big risky projects and focusing more on safer already-established titles.
But for the Elder Scrolls Online team specifically the situation was heartbreaking. Zenimax Online Studios took one of the hardest hits out of all the studios. Many talented developers designers and artists who had worked on ESO for years were suddenly gone. For the people still left at the company it was more than just losing coworkers. It was losing close friends almost like losing family members.
Rich Lambert explained how deeply personal it felt. He said It was a super emotional time. There were friends and colleagues that I had personally worked with for ten to fifteen years and we lost them. You go through a sort of mourning process. His words show that this was not just about business decisions or numbers. These layoffs cut into the very heart of the studio leaving emotional scars on the people who had spent a big part of their lives building games together.
At the end of the day the team behind Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) says their main focus has not changed. Even though things have been very difficult and even though there have been layoffs at Xbox that have affected people the studio is still fully committed to the community the players and the game itself. They know it is hard to keep moving forward after tough times but they believe they must continue. Their long-term goal is clear they want ESO to last for 30 years as a living MMO and that is what keeps them going.
However there has been a big change in leadership. Matt Firor and Rich Lambert who were known names in guiding ESO have shifted roles. Lambert is no longer the main person steering the Tamriel ship. He has moved into a higher-level role within the company where he looks at the bigger picture and future plans instead of managing daily game updates. Now Nick Giacomini who has worked at the company for a long time as the director of product management has stepped into the position of game director.
Lambert describes this transition as a bittersweet moment for him. He explains that Nick is now handling the everyday work of running the game but Lambert is still closely connected. He even calls ESO his baby showing how much the game means to him personally. He admits that stepping away from direct control has been more difficult than he expected. Still he feels excited to take on new challenges at the studio level where he can focus on long-term planning and future projects. At the same time he is looking forward to seeing how Nick puts his own mark on the game and how the team continues to grow under this new leadership.
Even after a heavy setback with layoffs ESO continues to evolve. The game has benefited from the renewed attention brought by the Oblivion remaster which has reminded many players of the Elder Scrolls universe. ESO has also been changing its seasonal content model trying to make the game more engaging and closer in competition to other big MMOs on the market. Lambert admits that even after so many years there are still people who do not realize that ESO is live and constantly updated which shows there is still potential to reach more players. With such a strong Elder Scrolls brand behind it the possibilities for the future are still wide open. Many fans are also waiting to see how the release of Elder Scrolls 6 will impact ESO and the wider franchise.
In the meantime players can continue to enjoy the rich Elder Scrolls experience in different ways. If you want to go back to Skyrim there are plenty of amazing mods to refresh the game and make it feel new again. If you’re trying out the Oblivion remaster there are also many mods available to improve your adventure even more. The community is always creating sharing and keeping these classic games alive.
Finally if you’re an ESO player the team encourages you to join their community spaces like Discord where you can talk about the classes you enjoy and share your experiences. For example many players still swear by the Nightblade class which shows how much passion and variety the ESO community has even after all these years.
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