Cancelled ZeniMax Online MMORPG “Project Blackbird” Revealed to Be a Sci-Fi Alien Noir Shooter With Deep Lore and Expansive Multiplayer
As part of the fallout from Microsoft's recent company-wide layoffs—totaling over 9,000 employees—one of the most ambitious and secretive projects in Xbox’s pipeline was unceremoniously cancelled: Project Blackbird, an unannounced MMORPG in development at ZeniMax Online Studios, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online. New details, now emerging post-cancellation, reveal the scope and ambition of what could have been one of Xbox’s most unique live-service games.
According to a new report by True Achievements, Project Blackbird was intended to be a third-person sci-fi MMO shooter featuring highly mobile combat and an immersive alien-noir setting. Players would take on the role of Revenants—elite operatives working for powerful alien syndicates—on a planet named Soteria, a world with extreme geographical dichotomies: one hemisphere frozen in perpetual darkness, the other scorched under constant sunlight. The only habitable zone, The Twilight Band, served as the main stage for interstellar politics, syndicate intrigue, and faction warfare.
Gameplay mechanics were being designed to prioritize mobility and traversal as much as combat, with double jumps, grappling hooks, dashes, and wall-climbing central to navigation and firefights. Up to four-player co-op missions, with larger-scale operations accommodating six players, were planned to take place across syndicate-controlled zones. Players could align with various alien factions, each with its own lore, abilities, and objectives.
Notably, the narrative of Project Blackbird was shaping up to be equally compelling. The setting included factions such as an aquatic alien species, a furry alien race, and a psychic species capable of extracting secrets from minds, all coexisting under a tenuous social structure. At the heart of the story was an unsolved alien murder, blamed on humans, sparking tension and giving rise to the game’s “alien noir” mystery narrative. These themes were designed to drive character progression and provide a deeply immersive role-playing experience across syndicate quests, espionage, and political manipulation.
Interestingly, despite early development issues—particularly with the engine—insiders suggest the project had gained internal momentum in recent months. Reports claim even Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was enthusiastic about the game, reportedly so engrossed during a play session that a controller had to be physically removed from his hands to resume a meeting. Yet, despite high-level support and promising progress, the project was terminated, reportedly due to Microsoft's pivot toward AI-focused strategies, deprioritizing even promising gaming ventures in favor of larger technological initiatives.
The termination of Project Blackbird marks yet another high-profile cancellation following Microsoft’s recent restructuring, which also included the closure of The Initiative and the cancellation of Perfect Dark and Everwild. For ZeniMax Online, it’s a setback that casts a shadow over what could have become a defining next chapter after The Elder Scrolls Online.
Players and industry watchers alike are now left to imagine what could have been—a richly layered, genre-bending MMO that blended classic science fiction with detective noir sensibilities and evolved MMO mechanics. Instead, Project Blackbird joins the long list of unrealized gaming visions buried by corporate pivots and budget cuts.
Do you think Xbox should have prioritized finishing this MMO? Would you have played it? Let us know what you think of Project Blackbird’s concept.
