Microsoft and Xbox began the year with a significant wave of layoffs, a move that impacted thousands of employees across its gaming division. This corporate restructuring led to the cancellation of numerous game projects and the closure of several studios. However, a positive development has emerged from this difficult situation as a group of affected developers has chosen to start anew. A team of former employees from ZeniMax Online Studios, the developer behind The Elder Scrolls Online and the canceled looter shooter Blackbird, have joined forces to create Sackbird Studios. This new company is taking a distinct path by being entirely employee-owned and self-funded. This structure is designed to give the team full creative control over their projects without the influence of outside investors. Their official announcement emphasized that the focus is on building great games entirely on their own terms. Currently, the senior leadership team at Sackbird Studios is small, consisting of fewer than ten individuals, including CEO Lee Ridout and COO David Worley. Despite its modest size, the studio is already actively developing its first game. While details about the project are being kept under wraps for now, the team has confirmed it will be released for both PC and consoles, signaling their ambition to reach a broad audience from the outset.
