A group of ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS) developers who were recently laid off by Microsoft have reunited to form Sackbird Studios.
The cohort had been working on an online looter shooter codenamed Project Blackbird at ZOS. As reported by Bloomberg in July, Microsoft canceled Blackbird despite the project seemingly blowing away Xbox executives, including division boss Phil Spencer, during an internal demonstration.
Now, key members of the ZOS team including principal tools engineer David Worley; studio director of product management, e-commerce, Lee Ridout; project technical director Robert Ballantyne; and lead engagement designer Doug Carroll have co-founded Sackbird and begun active development on an original project for PC and consoles.
Sackbird is billed as an independent, employee-owned studio. The team intend to leverage internal funding to retain full creative control and plan to build “bold, character-driven experiences free from corporate compromises.”
Former ZeniMax Online Studios devs reunite to build a studio “where creative independence isn’t negotiable”
According to an announcement on the Sackbird website, the development team currently comprises fewer than 10 developers and is committed to deploying sustainable development practices.
“After years in triple-A, we wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets,” said studio COO, David Worley. “We’re fully employee-owned and funded, which means we only answer to people who are passionate about games.”
Sackbird CEO Lee Ridout said the recent layoffs at Microsoft—the company’s fourth major round of job cuts since it merged with Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion—lit a fire under the team.
“We’re grateful for our time at ZeniMax Online Studios; it shaped us as developers and as people,” said Ridout. “When I learned that Blackbird was being cancelled and a lot of people were losing their jobs, it lit a fire. We realized the best way to protect our craft—and our team—was to create a studio where creative independence isn’t negotiable.”
