Elder Scrolls Online lead says Xbox's layoffs aren't the reason the MMO is switching over to smaller updates: "Seasons is not in any way a response to that"

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Elder Scrolls Online lead says Xbox's layoffs aren't the reason the MMO is switching over to smaller updates: "Seasons is not in any way a response to that" News By Jordan Gerblick published 16 January 2026

And because Blackbird was canceled, "in some capacities, we actually increased the number of folks available"

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Last week, The Elder Scrolls Online studio Zenimax Online revealed in the game's 2026 roadmap that it's ditching the huge, annual expansions it's been doing for years in favor of smaller, seasonal updates every three months. It's not an unprecedented move by any means, with fellow Xbox Game Studios developer Rare taking Sea of Thieves in a similar direction a few years back. That said, with Microsoft's brutal layoffs last year still fresh on the memory, it's hard not to question... why now? After 11 years, why now?

Well, we don't really have a hard answer to that question (Zenimax Online has said it's to allow for "greater choice and variety"), but according to ESO executive producer Susan Kath, it has nothing to do with Microsoft's downsizing, which heavily impacted Zenimax Online and resulted in the cancelation of what would've been its first new project in 12 years, Blackbird.

"Seasons is not in any way a response to that," Kath told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "We kicked off the Season work at least 12 to 14 months ago. We started making the changes in the team to move in this direction, knowing that this was our intent."

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That definitely tracks. While it's not impossible for a studio to change course that quickly, the switch to seasons was probably decided a good deal before Microsoft's layoffs hit Zenimax Online. And while you'd think a reduction in a studio's workforce would negatively impact an online game's development, Kath pointed out that the cancelation of Blackbird means 100% of the studio is now working on Elder Scrolls Online, instead of being divided like it was before. It's a silver lining to an otherwise uniformly ugly situation, but a silver lining nonetheless.

"In some capacities, we actually increased the number of folks available as we came out of that because they weren't managing two products anymore. They were only devoted to one title," said Kath.

ESO's first season, Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk, will run from April 2 to July 8 and will introduce "a new kind of zone experience while also laying the groundwork for future seasonal additions."

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks CATEGORIES Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Platforms Xbox PlayStation Jordan GerblickSocial Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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