After 18 years, ZeniMax Online studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company and won't be involved with Elder Scrolls Online going forward. The studio's general manager, Jo Burba, will be stepping up as ZeniMax studio head in Firor's absence.
"After more than 18 years leading ZeniMax Online Studios, I'll be stepping away later this month," reads an update from Firor shared on the official ESO forum.
"The studio and The Elder Scrolls Online will be in great hands under the direction of new Studio Head, Jo Burba along with Executive Producer, Susan Kath and Game Director, Rich Lambert. Together, this leadership team has spearheaded many of ESO's biggest ideas and expansions and will continue to make this game something we’re all proud of."
Firor's departure comes at a perilous time for ZeniMax Online parent company Microsoft, as the company announced sweeping layoffs today impacting over 9,000 workers, or around 4% of its total workforce. The downsizing resulted in the cancelation of Rare's action-adventure game Everwild, the cancelation of Xbox's Perfect Dark reboot and the shuttering of studio The Initiative, Forza studio Turn 10 losing about 50% of its staff, and the cancelation of ZeniMax Online's new MMO, codenamed Blackbird.
Firor founded ZeniMax Online back in 2007 as game director and moved up to studio director in 2019, and he's led development on ESO since its launch in 2014. Announcing his departure in the thick of one of Microsoft's most turbulent days in recent memory certainly raises some eyebrows about whether there's a connection between the two events.
But Firor seemed to assure ESO players that the MMO isn't in any serious trouble for the moment.
"While I won't be working on the game anymore, I will be cheering you on and adding to the thousands of hours I’ve already spent in-game," he said. "There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had, and I know this amazing community will carry that shared legacy and success forwards."
