{"id":2030781,"date":"2026-07-07T09:12:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T06:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2030781"},"modified":"2026-07-07T09:12:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T06:12:39","slug":"the-elder-scrolls-online-studio-reportedly-suffers-a-second-large-wave-of-layoffs-in-a-year-with-up-to-half-of-the-team-impacted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2030781","title":{"rendered":"The Elder Scrolls Online studio reportedly suffers a second large wave of layoffs in a year, with &#8220;up to half&#8221; of the team impacted"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-elder-scrolls-online\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      The Elder Scrolls Online<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">The Elder Scrolls Online studio reportedly suffers a second large wave of layoffs in a year, with &#8220;up to half&#8221; of the team impacted<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">In the name of &#8220;improving long-term growth&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/the-elder-scrolls-onlines-gates-of-oblivion-adventure-ends-1st-november-with-new-dlc-1633167524136.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"the-elder-scrolls-onlines-gates-of-oblivion-adventure-ends-1st-november-with-new-dlc-1633167524136.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-07T09:12:39+00:00\">July 7, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"69077a0b-c748-4760-97fe-84d65b5eac99\" data-name=\"The Elder Scrolls Online\" data-follow-text=\"Follow The Elder Scrolls Online\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following The Elder Scrolls Online\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow The Elder Scrolls Online\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following The Elder Scrolls Online\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow The Elder Scrolls Online\" title=\"Follow The Elder Scrolls Online\"><br \/>\n  Follow The Elder Scrolls Online<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>A second wave of massive Microsoft layoffs has reportedly hit Zenimax Online Studios, with some sources claiming &#8220;up to half&#8221; of the studio has been cut.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/elder-scrolls-online-team-seemingly-halved-xbox-layoffs-2000712920\">a new report by Kotaku<\/a>, the cuts have been &#8220;brutal&#8221;. While the total number of employees lost as part of this week&#8217;s layoffs is unknown, sources speaking to the outlet expressed doubt as to how The Elder Scrolls Online would &#8220;continue to function&#8221; given the scope of the layoffs.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s The Elder Scrolls Online&#8217;s Welcome to Seasons trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jVjE88kBxwk\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In response to this news, and several developers announcing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/search\/results\/content\/?keywords=zenimax%20online&amp;origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER&amp;sortBy=%5B%22date_posted%22%5D\">they had lost their jobs at Zenimax Online Studios on LinkedIn<\/a>, community manager JessicaFolsom <a href=\"https:\/\/forums.elderscrollsonline.com\/en\/discussion\/695707\/an-update-from-the-eso-team\">posted a statement on The Elder Scrolls Online forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This statement starts by reaffirming a &#8220;commitment to The Elder Scrolls Online&#8221; and says the focus remains on the launch of Season One. This is the first major update after the company moved away from its expansion model, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-online-studio-says-smaller-seasonal-updates-unrelated-to-microsoft-layoffs\">which it claimed had nothing to do with earlier layoffs<\/a>. The statement then says that the roadmap for updates beyond Season One will be &#8220;shifting&#8221;, though no further details are provided on how it&#8217;ll change or when the public will hear more.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to Kotaku&#8217;s report, those at Zenimax Online Studios received an email justifying the cuts in the name of &#8220;improving long-term growth&#8221; for the company. Focus from here will be on big franchises including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein.<\/p>\n<p>Less than a year ago, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/zenimax-employees-discuss-chaos-of-microsofts-inhumane-mass-layoffs-in-new-report\">Zenimax Online Studios was hit with substantial layoffs<\/a> under former Xbox leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/personas\/phil-spencer\">Phil Spencer<\/a>, which was described as &#8220;inhumane&#8221; by one of the impacted developers. As part of this, a significant portion of The Elder Scrolls Online development team were laid off. On top of that, Project Blackbird, an in-development MMO, was cancelled and its developers were laid off as well. Zenimax Online Studio&#8217;s founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/former-zenimax-online-founder-confirms-he-resigned-because-xbox-killed-project-blackbird\">resigned in response to Blackbird&#8217;s cancellation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Eurogamer wishes those impacted by these layoffs at Zenimax Online Studios well.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>A second wave of massive Microsoft layoffs has reportedly hit Zenimax Online Studios, with some sources claiming &#8220;up to half&#8221; of the studio has been cut.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/elder-scrolls-online-team-seemingly-halved-xbox-layoffs-2000712920\">a new report by Kotaku<\/a>, the cuts have been &#8220;brutal&#8221;. While the total number of employees lost as part of this week&#8217;s layoffs is unknown, sources speaking to the outlet expressed doubt as to how The Elder Scrolls Online would &#8220;continue to function&#8221; given the scope of the layoffs.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s The Elder Scrolls Online&#8217;s Welcome to Seasons trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jVjE88kBxwk\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In response to this news, and several developers announcing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/search\/results\/content\/?keywords=zenimax%20online&amp;origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER&amp;sortBy=%5B%22date_posted%22%5D\">they had lost their jobs at Zenimax Online Studios on LinkedIn<\/a>, community manager JessicaFolsom <a href=\"https:\/\/forums.elderscrollsonline.com\/en\/discussion\/695707\/an-update-from-the-eso-team\">posted a statement on The Elder Scrolls Online forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This statement starts by reaffirming a &#8220;commitment to The Elder Scrolls Online&#8221; and says the focus remains on the launch of Season One. This is the first major update after the company moved away from its expansion model, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-online-studio-says-smaller-seasonal-updates-unrelated-to-microsoft-layoffs\">which it claimed had nothing to do with earlier layoffs<\/a>. The statement then says that the roadmap for updates beyond Season One will be &#8220;shifting&#8221;, though no further details are provided on how it&#8217;ll change or when the public will hear more.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to Kotaku&#8217;s report, those at Zenimax Online Studios received an email justifying the cuts in the name of &#8220;improving long-term growth&#8221; for the company. Focus from here will be on big franchises including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein.<\/p>\n<p>Less than a year ago, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/zenimax-employees-discuss-chaos-of-microsofts-inhumane-mass-layoffs-in-new-report\">Zenimax Online Studios was hit with substantial layoffs<\/a> under former Xbox leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/personas\/phil-spencer\">Phil Spencer<\/a>, which was described as &#8220;inhumane&#8221; by one of the impacted developers. As part of this, a significant portion of The Elder Scrolls Online development team were laid off. On top of that, Project Blackbird, an in-development MMO, was cancelled and its developers were laid off as well. Zenimax Online Studio&#8217;s founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/former-zenimax-online-founder-confirms-he-resigned-because-xbox-killed-project-blackbird\">resigned in response to Blackbird&#8217;s cancellation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Eurogamer wishes those impacted by these layoffs at Zenimax Online Studios well.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News The Elder Scrolls Online The Elder Scrolls Online studio reportedly suffers a second large wave of layoffs in a year, with &#8220;up to half&#8221; of the team impacted In the name of &#8220;improving long-term growth&#8221;. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on July 7, 2026 Follow The Elder Scrolls Online A second [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2030781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2030781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030781\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2030781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2030781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2030781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}