Ex-Elder Scrolls Online Boss Opens Up About Microsoft Killing His Dream Game: “A Giant Successful Video Game On The Microsoft Level Was Frankly Not That Stimulating To Them”

Matt Firor said Microsoft canceled Project Blackbird, the sci-fi online loot shooter/MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios.

He said the decision was driven by 2025 cost-cutting, not personal issues, and it pushed him to leave the company.

The cancellation ends years of work on a project that had internal support but was still vulnerable to Microsoft’s post-acquisition budget pressure.