Xbox’s sci-fi looter-shooter Blackbird was scrapped even after leaving execs ‘blown away’

Xbox was well on its way to delivering a sci-fi stylized game with plenty of exciting movement mechanics before an abrupt change of heart. The upcoming third-person shooter RPG codenamed Blackbird from ZeniMax Online Studios, which developed The Elder Scrolls Online, has been “shelved indefinitely,” according to an exclusive report from Bloomberg. The report added that Xbox execs were “blown away” by the game and had “nothing but complimentary words,” according to Bloomberg‘s sources.

The exciting new IP was expected to rival the Destiny franchise with its looter-shooter gameplay in an alien noir-themed world. The Bloomberg report revealed that a sci-fi setting would be paired with movement-based abilities like “double-jumping, air-dashing, a grappling hook and wall climbing.” The project was reportedly gaining momentum recently and was set to release in 2028, after the studio expanded its team to 300 people.

Microsoft didn’t provide comments to Bloomberg or any explicit reasoning why the Blackbird project was dropped. Not much was known about the game, but uncovered a plot that revolves around players uncovering a notorious murder in a capital city called Exodus. Along with Blackbird, Microsoft cancelled Everwild, a fantasy game from Rare that’s been in development since 2014, and a reboot of the Perfect Dark first-person shooter.