The Elder Scrolls Online team has postponed certain updates until 2027. Game Director Nick Jacomini stated that following the layoffs, the team reevaluated its development schedule; to ensure player experience, they were unwilling to rush content just to meet original deadlines.
ZeniMax Online canceled the "Blackbird" project in July 2025, resulting in 62 layoffs. This July, the studio laid off an additional 213 employees. Based on these figures, its development team has shrunk by approximately 60% within a year. Prior to this, the team had been working on animation updates, a new seasonal structure, and experimental gameplay features.
Jacomini wrote to players in July of this year to announce the delay of certain updates. Speaking recently about this decision, he said the layoffs affected developers, forcing the team to reassess which tasks could be completed as originally planned. Rushing content could negatively impact player experience, so some items require more production time.
The team is still planning future content. Jacomini mentioned that he has attended meetings regarding plans for late 2027 to early 2028. Michael Zenke, who oversees the game's lore, also expressed his desire to ensure that the work invested by former colleagues ultimately reaches the players.
During the delay period, The Elder Scrolls Online plans to release three pieces of content on September 28: "Vaults of Secrets," which combines puzzles, mazes, and jumping challenges in random order; "High Seas of Tamriel," an event featuring combat on ships and underwater; and "Rumors," special quests without quest markers that require players to find objectives using clues.
Associate Game Director Jason Barnes stated that "Rumors" was designed to encourage players to explore on their own rather than follow UI markers. He noted that early test feedback was positive, with some players requesting more obscure clues and greater challenges. Much of this upcoming content had already entered production before the layoffs in July of this year.