ZeniMax Online Studios canceled development of its new MMORPG “Project Blackbird” this past July. In the wake of that decision, the project’s core developers broke away to establish an independent indie studio called Sackbird Studios.

On the 8th (local time), Sackbird Studios announced its official launch through its newly opened website. The studio is composed of veteran developers from ZeniMax Online Studios who previously led development on The Elder Scrolls Online and the now-canceled Project Blackbird.

Project Blackbird had been in development since 2018 as ZeniMax’s next-generation MMORPG. Set on the alien world of Soteria, it was designed to depict interspecies conflict between humans and various alien civilizations. According to several foreign media reports, the game would have allowed players to take on the role of cybernetically enhanced mercenaries, completing quests and collecting equipment such as cybernetic implants, bodysuits, weapons, and drones to tailor their own combat and exploration styles. However, following Microsoft’s company-wide layoffs in July—which affected approximately 9,000 employees across its subsidiaries—development on Project Blackbird was terminated as part of a broader studio restructuring.

Sackbird Studios COO David Worley said the founding team wanted the autonomy to pursue creative risks without being bound by publisher approvals or quarterly business targets, drawing on their years of AAA development experience. He added that the studio would remain fully employee-owned and self-funded for the foreseeable future to ensure its independence from external interference.

CEO Lee Ridout, formerly Director of E-commerce at ZeniMax Online Studios and a key figure in Sackbird’s founding, explained that the cancellation of Project Blackbird had underscored the need to protect both the team and their creative integrity. He noted that the group decided to form a studio where their creative freedom would not be subject to negotiation or corporate oversight.

Sackbird Studios currently operates with fewer than ten members and is developing an original title for PC and consoles. Further details on its new project will be announced through the studio’s official channels in the future.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.