former employees that worked on The Elder Scrolls Online and the canceled Project Blackbird from ZeniMax Online Studios have established a new studio based in Baltimore, Maryland called Sackbird Studios.
The new studio is developing an original game for consoles and PC. Details on the games will be shared “when the game is ready.”
Sackbird Studios is a “developer-first environment with a long runway and a tight, senior team” and currently has under 10 employees.
““After years in AAA, we wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets,” said Sackbird Studios chief operating officer David Worley. “We’re fully employee-owned and funded, which means we only answer to people who are passionate about games.”
Sackbird Studios CEO Lee Ridout added, “We’re grateful for our time at ZeniMax Online Studios; it shaped us as developers and as people. 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.”
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
Full Article – https://www.vgchartz.com/article/465944/former-the-elder-scrolls-online-and-project-blackbird-devs-establish-sackbird-studios/