After mass layoffs, The Elder Scrolls Online updates will be released noticeably less frequently, says a developer who was laid off
379 ZeniMax employees lost their jobs in early July.
Mass layoffs at Microsoft-owned ZeniMax Online Studios could seriously impact future support for The Elder Scrolls Online. According to a former studio employee, players should prepare for new content for the MMORPG to be released significantly slower than before.
Last week, it was revealed that Microsoft laid off 379 employees across ZeniMax divisions: 213 people were dismissed from ZeniMax Online Studios and another 166 from ZeniMax Media.
One of those affected by the layoffs was senior game events designer Morgan Goyne. In an interview with the BBC, she said that employees were "completely caught off guard" by the news of the dismissals. According to her, some departments lost so many specialists that their numbers were reduced to about a quarter of their previous size.
We will no longer be able to release as much content and at the same speed as before — or even close to it.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the layoffs occurred almost immediately after a major restructuring of the game's development model. Back in December 2024, ZeniMax Online announced a shift away from traditional annual major expansions in favor of a seasonal system. It was assumed that instead of one large release, players would regularly receive more compact updates.
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