In a recent interview with MinnMax, ZeniMax Online Studios founder Matt Firor described his reaction to his MMO, Project Blackbird, getting canceled, as well as his more general thoughts on the current moment in the industry. To hear Firor tell it, the closure of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks on the same day was recognized as a sign of things to come inside Xbox.
Firor said that the one-two punch caused developers to, in Firor's words, see themselves in an "EA 2008" situation, a reference to the publisher cutting 1,100 jobs in response to the '08 Financial Crisis at the beginning of 2009, with an even larger 1,500-person layoff to come later in the year. Firor said that the presence of industry veterans at ZeniMax Online primed them to recognize this likely meant more hardship to come.
