Latest news with #MattFiror
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"A future has been stolen": ZeniMax union says "lives were upended" by Xbox layoffs and MMO cancelation, but "we have not yet been laid off"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. ZeniMax Online Studios United (ZOSU-CWA), a union formed by members of the Elder Scrolls Online development team and people who had been working on a now-canceled MMO in December, has issued a statement in response to the recent layoffs at Xbox. For the uninitiated, an unannounced Destiny-style MMO codenamed Blackbird, which was in development at Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax Online for seven years, was canceled as part of Microsoft's restructuring, and in the wake of the news longtime studio director Matt Firor resigned. We've known that the layoffs hit Microsoft's gaming division particularly hard, but the full scope of the downsizing has yet to be revealed. Now, thanks to a statement from ZOSU-CWA (via IGN), we know the ZeniMax Online team has yet to be made redundant despite the cancelation of its unannounced MMO. "Earlier this month, Microsoft indefinitely shelved an unannounced MMORPG at ZeniMax Online Studios, a shock to the 222 ZOSU-CWA developers working on the project," reads the statement. "It has been heartening and validating to see our game mentioned in the press and by players that would have loved to see the results of our work. "Undoubtedly, a future has been stolen from many of us and our community will never experience an amazing game. However, despite discussions regarding the status of our employment, the fact is: we have not yet been laid off." Blackbird was reportedly an online looter shooter along the same lines as Destiny but with a lot more verticality and a Blade Runner-esque, sci-fi noir vibe. Xbox boss Phil Spencer reportedly had so much fun playing it he had to have the controller ripped from his hands. Nonetheless, it's been shelved indefinitely, with the team behind it seemingly in limbo until they get word from parent company Microsoft. According to this statement from ZOSU, however, the writing's on the wall. "While we understand that for most of us something like a layoff is inevitable, last December both the teams behind The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) and the unannounced project voted overwhelmingly to form a union and establish ZeniMax Online Studios United-CWA (ZOSU-CWA)," the union says. "Worker-volunteers elected to represent the interests of our union are currently bargaining with Microsoft for the benefit of our impacted teammates." ZOSU says it's negotiating with Microsoft on "how we move forward following the project closure" and reaffirms that, for the time being, "the developers behind the unannounced project remain employees of ZeniMax Online Studios with full pay and benefits." "On July 2nd, our lives were upended without prior notice or communication from Microsoft leadership and without clear understanding about the status of our employment. In light of this, our union came together with urgency, gathering and distributing information and resources to our affected members," ZOSU says. The statement then takes direct aim at Microsoft, which it says "failed to support the talented craftspeople who have generated billions in revenue," leaving the union to step up and "provide clarity and support." While ZOSU specifically has yet to reach an agreement on contract with Microsoft, ZeniMax Workers United, a sibling union representing ZeniMax QA workers, reached a tentative agreement in May. Still, ZOSU acknowledges, "a layoff may be in the future for some of our members. However, as a result of our organizing, we are able to ensure that those impacted will be able to depart with dignity. "More importantly, the work of ZOSU-CWA will continue so that our remaining teammates — the stalwart developers of ESO — can follow in the footsteps of our colleagues across other departments and studios at Microsoft, including our union siblings at ZeniMax Workers United (ZWU-CWA). We look forward to other units who will soon ratify fair contracts that will guarantee the rights we all deserve." Microsoft's recent layoffs impacted over 9,000 workers, or around 4% of its total workforce, and in addition to the cancelation of ZeniMax Online's MMO, resulted in the cancelation of Rare's action-adventure game Everwild, the cancelation of Xbox's Perfect Dark reboot, the shuttering of studio The Initiative, and the reduction of Forza studio Turn 10's workforce by about 50%. Former Microsoft exec says if Xbox hadn't shelled out $1.15 billion to fix its infamous red ring of death, "I'm not sure the Xbox brand would be around today". Solve the daily Crossword
The Verge
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
The president of ZeniMax Online Studios is leaving.
Xbox hit hard with layoffs: from cancelled games to a shuttered studio See all Stories Posted Jul 2, 2025 at 8:47 PM UTC The president of ZeniMax Online Studios is leaving. Matt Firor is departing 'later this month' after more than 18 years of heading up the organization, he says.
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
ESO Developers Are Working On ‘Underlying Tech' For Possible Crossplay
Elder Scrolls Online Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is over a decade old at this point and remains to be one of the most popular and widely played MMORPGs on the market across PC/Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. However, one major caveat that holds it back from being even bigger is the complete lack of crossplay and cross-progression. That means if you want to play Elder Scrolls Online with your friends, you must be on the same platform ecosystem as them to make it happen. PC players cannot play with PlayStation players, who cannot play with Xbox players, and so on. That also goes for your own accounts as well. If you're playing on PC and then a friend starts playing on Xbox, you can't use the same character at all. During a podcast recording with Greg Miller's Kinda Funny, as reported by PCGamesN, Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) game director Rich Lambert and ZeniMax Online Studios head Matt Firor talk about the studio's plans for the game's future. Of course, one of the biggest questions posed is whether or not crossplay is ever coming. "Anything is possible," says Lambert. "We're working on doing some underlying tech changes that would make it possible," adds Firor. 'We know how important it is. Starting work on this game in 2007, [we] FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Elder Scrolls Online, like any other MMO, is the type of game many players spend hundreds of even thousands of hours playing over the course of several years, so asking them to abandon an account with that type of legacy just to play with someone on another platform is a very big ask. Hopefully, a remedy is finally on the way in the form of crossplay. Over six years ago, I wrote about ESO's lack of crossplay and now we live in an era where games like New World, Throne and Liberty, and the upcoming Chrono Odyssey all have crossplay as a core part of their marketing appeal. For all intents and purposes, Elder Scrolls Online is getting left behind in this regard. In the meantime, there's a lot to look forward to for the rest of this year with ESO. In June, the Return of the Worm Cult kicks off as a continuation of the original main storyline alongside more Content Pass changes and the introduction of subclassing, which will dramatically change the way players build out their characters. For a decade-old MMO, those are some pretty massive, sweeping changes so it's great to see the folks at ZeniMax Online Studios willing to take big risks with ESO even though they could have chosen to continue playing it safe.
