Concord will envy: ZeniMax Online's MMORPG Project Blackbird reportedly cost c. $400 million
Insiders say the project spent about $400 million over roughly seven years. Development reached a point where, in March 2025, Xbox head Phil Spencer was apparently very impressed by a demo — after which the team continued full steam ahead.
At its peak some 300 people were on the payroll. The target window for launch was 2028. Design notes (e.g., mission structure) aimed at six-player co-op; traversal included a grappling-hook mechanic. The world—Soteria—was pitched with a noir atmosphere, recalling Blade Runner and Destiny in tone and set dressing. Players would tangle with alien syndicates on that planet.
Then, abruptly in July 2025, the project was cancelled. ZeniMax Online president Matt Firorra, who reportedly called Blackbird the "game of a lifetime" (a phrase that landed oddly when the plug was pulled), stepped down. Many of the developers who lost their jobs went on to found Sackbird Studios.