Elder Scrolls MMO lead still wants to make a new game, despite the cancelation of the Blackbird project that Xbox’s Phil Spencer apparently loved: “I don’t think you can ride one thing into forever”

Rich Lambert, the game director at ZeniMax Online Studios, has incredibly high hopes for the future of Elder Scrolls Online. He wants the game to be remembered as fondly as Bethesda’s most iconic titles, much like Todd Howard’s work.

Elder Scrolls Online, a popular online game that launched in 2014 and receives regular updates, is the main focus for ZeniMax Online Studios – it’s the only game they’ve created and continue to support. The studio was previously developing another MMO called Blackbird, and Phil Spencer from Xbox was excited about it, but the project was canceled during recent layoffs at Microsoft.

Even after the recent layoffs and Matt Firor’s exit, the new studio head, Lambert, has ambitious goals for ZeniMax Online, as he shared with GamesIndustry.

Our goal is to become the leading studio within the company. That’s an ambitious aim, considering we’re alongside renowned teams like Bethesda Game Studios, MachineGames, and id Software. But I want us to be the studio everyone admires, just like we admire Bethesda Game Studios.

Elder Scrolls Online is a very successful online game, but it hasn’t quite reached the legendary status of earlier, single-player Elder Scrolls games like Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, which were made by Bethesda Game Studios. However, the team behind it, led by Lambert, is still aiming high.

Seeing what Todd Howard and his team have accomplished – five Game of the Year awards in a row, and just a huge history of amazing games – that’s my goal too. I really want to keep making games, I’m definitely not finished yet, and thankfully, the rest of the team feels the same way. We all want to keep creating!

“I have lots of ideas. Hopefully we’ll be able to share those at some point.”

Having played for years, it’s difficult to imagine ZeniMax Online without Elder Scrolls Online being its main game. While it seems the game isn’t going anywhere soon, it’s a reminder that nothing lasts forever.

You can’t rely on any single game lasting forever. We definitely hope Elder Scrolls Online continues to thrive for decades, and we’re committed to making that happen. However, it’s risky to focus all our resources on just one project.

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2025-09-17 21:40