der wortwörtliche rattenschwanz. was das noch für kreise ziehen wird...
war wohl ein mmo/gaas scifi/cyberpunk kopfgeldjäger spiel (ein grund wieso es mal ein gerücht gab, dass xbox an einem mandalorian spiel sitzt) und die hatten extra dafür den support von elder scrolls online zurückgeschraubt.
Speaking to multiple sources familiar with the project, IGN has learned that Blackbird was to be a new, sci-fi IP. Though it had been in development since 2018, the length of time it was taking to make the game was expected, as ZeniMax was building an entirely new game engine for it.
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. Xbox had approved the scaling up, and some individuals were being moved onto the project from other teams such as The Elder Scrolls Online, as well as some people absorbed from the shuttering last year of Arkane Austin.
One source recalled being told last year by head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty in a meeting that Xbox's closures of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games were done for the purpose of justifying increased headcount for other game studios that needed it, including ZeniMax Online Studios.
But now, every person working on Blackbird is gone. The project has been cancelled, and ZeniMax Online Studios head Matt Firor has stepped down. Sources IGN spoke to said that those within ZeniMax only knew that layoffs were coming due to ongoing news reports leading up to yesterday, but even today are still in the dark as to how widespread the cuts actually are. They also confirmed reports that a number of people's Slack access was deactivated before they were told by HR that they were impacted, resulting in confusion and distress.
Blackbird was a third-person, online looter-shooter, not unlike the popular game Destiny, set within a new franchise. It had a sci-fi, noir aesthetic — similar to films like Blade Runner — and placed a heavy emphasis on vertical movement. Players could uses abilities such as double jumping, air-dashing, a grappling hook and wall climbing to fling themselves around tall buildings like superheroes.
I saw footage of the vertical slice last night and was impressed. It was a slick-looking demo with alluring visuals and battle sequences.
Xbox executives were also blown away when they played Blackbird in March, according to people familiar with the game’s development. Executives had nothing but complimentary words for the project.
Following that March meeting, the team began putting together a production plan that would flesh out the vertical slice and then build out more content for release.
Then, yesterday, the game was canceled, stunning everyone at the studio. Matt Firor, the well-respected studio boss and director who founded ZeniMax Online Studios and led The Elder Scrolls Online, immediately tendered his resignation.
Staff were not given an explanation for Blackbird’s cancellation. It was set to be an expensive project, and Xbox may have seen it as too risky. It was a new franchise and a live-service game entering an oversaturated market during a time when many other live-service titles have flopped. The team was also building a brand-new engine for the game while making it, which created a number of challenges. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to elaborate on why it was canceled.
But ZeniMax Online Studios was not an unproven developer. It was the maker of one of the most lucrative online games in history, a title that generates significant profits every quarter.
Canceled video games are easy to glamorize. They will always exist in a crystallized state, preserved in our imaginations without any of the flaws or controversies that inevitably arrive upon release. But for people who saw and played Blackbird, this one stung.
ich will generell phil spencer nie wieder mit einer ip aufm shirt sehen.
Das ist ja das was ich sagen wollte... das machen wie bei Musk bestimmt irgendwelche Chinesen!ehrlich gesagt könnte man eher sagen, dass er für seine position zu viel zockt.
Ist eben gut fürs Image... einer von uns und so.![]()