>Blackbird was a third-person, online looter-shooter, not unlike the popular game Destiny, set within a new franchise. It had a sci-fi, noir aesthetic — similar to films like Blade Runner — and placed a heavy emphasis on vertical movement. Players could uses abilities such as double jumping, air-dashing, a grappling hook and wall climbing to fling themselves around tall buildings like superheroes.

>I saw footage of the vertical slice last night and was impressed. It was a slick-looking demo with alluring visuals and battle sequences.

>Xbox executives were also blown away when they played Blackbird in March, according to people familiar with the game’s development. Executives had nothing but complimentary words for the project.

>Following that March meeting, the team began putting together a production plan that would flesh out the vertical slice and then build out more content for release.

>Then, yesterday, the game was canceled, stunning everyone at the studio. Matt Firor, the well-respected studio boss and director who founded ZeniMax Online Studios and led The Elder Scrolls Online, immediately tendered his resignation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-07-03/microsoft-s-xbox-cancels-blackbird-an-upcoming-game-that-impressed-executives?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc1MTU2ODYyNiwiZXhwIjoxNzUyMTczNDI2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTWVU2WjREV1JHRzAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.qsy2COuNIZabsf38JG6uvZ2JOF4hCCs1hdYhMXpS9pw&leadSource=uverify%20wall