Matt Firor Says He Left ZeniMax After Microsoft Canceled MMO 'Project Blackbird'

Overview

• Firor stated in a January 1 LinkedIn and Bluesky post that the cancellation of Project Blackbird directly led to his July 2025 resignation after nearly two decades at the company.
• He said he is informally advising and investing in small teams and is not directly involved with new ventures started by former colleagues, such as Sackbird Studios.
• Microsoft’s July 2, 2025 cuts eliminated roughly 9,000 roles and canceled several games, including ZeniMax’s unannounced MMO, the Perfect Dark reboot, and Rare’s Everwild.
• Reporting has described Project Blackbird as a Destiny-like looter shooter that had been in development since around 2018.
• Following the reductions, a senior QA tester publicly described morale at ZeniMax as badly damaged, criticizing the effect on the studio’s culture and collaboration.