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After 18 years, Elder Scrolls Online director and studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company amid Microsoft layoffs: “There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had”

The Elder Scrolls
After 11 years, Elder Scrolls Online lead says the MMO is still “flying under the radar” of potential fans – with some even asking devs, “when does this come out?”

The Elder Scrolls
After 7 years of development, Elder Scrolls Online developer’s new MMO is reportedly canceled amid wider Xbox layoffs

“A future has been stolen”: ZeniMax union says “lives were upended” by Xbox layoffs and MMO cancelation, but “we have not yet been laid off”

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After nearly 30 years buried in Bethesda lore, ex-dev isn’t sure what to make of The Elder Scrolls 6: “They’re making something different than what I would have done, and so I don’t know how I’m going to feel”

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The Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls MMO lead still wants to make a new game, despite the cancelation of the Blackbird project that Xbox’s Phil Spencer apparently loved: “I don’t think you can ride one thing into forever”

Jordan Gerblick

17 September 2025

Elder Scrolls Online lead wants it to be “that 30-year MMO” but still has ideas for other games because “if you put all your eggs in one basket, there’s issues”

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(Image credit: Zenimax Online)

ZeniMax Online studio game director Rich Lambert sees an extremely ambitious future beyond Elder Scrolls Online – so much so that he’s gunning for a legacy equal to Bethesda’s Todd Howard.

The enduring MMO Elder Scrolls Online, which first released in 2014 and continues adding new chapters and expansions today, is the lifeblood of ZeniMax Online, the studio’s debut title and the only game its primarily responsible for. The studio had previously been working on a new, unannounced MMO codenamed Blackbird, which apparently Xbox boss Phil Spencer was a big fan of, but that was canceled as part of Microsoft’s layoff blitz in July.
Still, Lambert, who stepped in as studio head following Matt Firor’s departure in the wake of the layoffs, has big plans for ZeniMax Online, telling GamesIndustry:

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After 18 years, Elder Scrolls Online director and studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company amid Microsoft layoffs: “There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had”

After 11 years, Elder Scrolls Online lead says the MMO is still “flying under the radar” of potential fans – with some even asking devs, “when does this come out?”

After 7 years of development, Elder Scrolls Online developer’s new MMO is reportedly canceled amid wider Xbox layoffs

“I want us to be the most successful studio in our entire organization. That’s a big thing to say because we’ve got Bethesda Game Studios, we’ve got MachineGames, and id – the list goes on. But I want us to be that group that everybody looks at, like we do with [Bethesda Game Studios].”

Elder Scrolls Online is a massively popular MMO, but I think it’s safe to say it hasn’t earned ZeniMax Online quite the same pedigree as, say, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim did for Bethesda Game Studios proper. Still, Lambert has his eye on the prize.
“You look at Todd Howard’s group and … it’s, like, five Game of the Years in a row, and this massive legacy and all that. That’s what I want us to do,” he said. “I want to make more games. I’m not done yet, and the team continues to want to make more games as well.
“I have lots of ideas. Hopefully we’ll be able to share those at some point.”

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As a longtime player, it’s hard to think of a ZeniMax Online where Elder Scrolls Online isn’t the primary focus, and while it doesn’t sound like the MMO is going anywhere anytime soon, I suppose nothing lasts forever.
“I don’t think you can ride one thing into forever. I mean, obviously we want ESO to be successful, we want it to be that 30-year MMO, and commit to it,” Lambert said. “But if you put all your eggs in one basket, there’s issues.”
There’s a reason Elder Scrolls Online is high up on our list of the best MMOs you can play today.

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Jordan Gerblick

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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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After 18 years, Elder Scrolls Online director and studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company amid Microsoft layoffs: “There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had”

After 11 years, Elder Scrolls Online lead says the MMO is still “flying under the radar” of potential fans – with some even asking devs, “when does this come out?”

After 7 years of development, Elder Scrolls Online developer’s new MMO is reportedly canceled amid wider Xbox layoffs

“A future has been stolen”: ZeniMax union says “lives were upended” by Xbox layoffs and MMO cancelation, but “we have not yet been laid off”

After nearly 30 years buried in Bethesda lore, ex-dev isn’t sure what to make of The Elder Scrolls 6: “They’re making something different than what I would have done, and so I don’t know how I’m going to feel”

Wizards of the Coast boss and ex WoW dev would love a new D&D MMO, but says “the traditional model” Blizzard used “could use updating”

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