ZeniMax Online Studios LLC is an American video game developer and a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, specializing in massively multiplayer online games.[1] The company developed The Elder Scrolls Online and its downloadable content.[1] In 2012, it had approximately 250 employees.[2] Its main studio is located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and it also operates a satellite studio in Budapest, Hungary. Additionally, ZeniMax Online Studios has locations in Austin, San Diego, Seattle, and Wisconsin.
.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | August 1, 2007 |
| Founder | Matt Firor |
| Headquarters | , US |
Number of locations | 6 (2024) |
Key people | Joseph Burba (studio head) |
Number of employees | 250 (2012) |
| Parent | ZeniMax Media |
| Divisions | ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary |
| Website | zenimaxonline.com |
History
edit2007–2018: Formation, The Elder Scrolls Online
editThe formation of ZeniMax Online Studios was announced by ZeniMax Media on August 1, 2007, to be headed by Matt Firor, a massively multiplayer online game designer and veteran of Mythic Entertainment.[3]
The company was built to specialize in the creation of a massively multiplayer online game.[4] In 2007 the company announced a partnership with Simutronics for the use of HeroEngine.[5] In June 2008, ZeniMax Online Studios moved into its current office in Hunt Valley.[6] On March 15, 2010, ZeniMax Online Studios announced that it will be using the Fork Particle SDK to create the particle effects in its unannounced upcoming massively multiplayer game.[7] On March 15, 2011, ZeniMax Online Studios announced plans to open a customer support center in Galway, Ireland. The company's new facility will provide customer support for players of their future massively multiplayer online games and is expected to result in the creation of hundreds of jobs over the next several years.[8][9] On August 8, 2011, ZeniMax Online Studios selected Splunk to be its platform for business intelligence, network operations monitoring, and operational intelligence.[10] On March 6, 2012, ZeniMax Online Studios signed a licensing deal with Elastic Path Software.[11] On May 3, 2012, Game Informer announced that ZeniMax Online Studios's video game in development will take place in The Elder Scrolls universe, approximately a millennium before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.[12] The game, The Elder Scrolls Online, was released in 2014.[13] The Ireland branch effectively shut down in 2015.[14]
The studio also did additional work on Doom and Fallout 76, which are other titles published by Bethesda.[15][16]
2018–2024: New intellectual property, Microsoft, Company expansion
editIn 2018, Zenimax began to work on a new Triple-A MMO game codenamed Blackbird, a third-person online looter-shooter that placed a heavy emphasis on vertical movement. It was to be a brand new IP set within a new franchise with a sci-fi, noir aesthetic, similar to Blade Runner.[17][18] In December 2020, ZeniMax Online Studios formed a satellite office in San Diego to work on an original intellectual property.[19] Ben Jones, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios publicly stated in October 2022 that the company was developing the new IP for four and a half years with a team of about 200 people.[20] ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft for US$7.5 billion in March 2021 and became part of Xbox Game Studios.[21][22]
ZeniMax Media purchased Hungarian studio Nemesys Games in 2022, and rebranded them as ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary.[23][24]
300 QA testers, a majority at ZeniMax Online Studios voted to unionize as "ZeniMax Workers United-CWA" in January 2023.[25] 461 designers, engineers, graphics artists and developers at ZeniMax Online Studios unionized as "ZOS United-CWA" in December 2024.[26] Microsoft signed a labor-neutrality agreement in 2024, agreeing not to interfere with any unionization efforts in any ZeniMax Media subsidiary.[27]
2025–present: Layoffs and restructuring
editIn March 2025, insiders reported that Xbox executives were blown away by ZeniMax's upcoming MMO Project Blackbird, with nothing but complimentary words for the project. The team for the game had expanded to 300 people by this time, and was aiming to release in 2028.[18]
In May 2025, Microsoft and Zenimax Online Studios reached an agreement with employees associated with the ZOS United-CWA union about raising minimum wages and instituting a new credit policy after they threatened a strike.[28] In July 2025, the studio underwent a round of layoffs as part of company-wide layoffs at Microsoft, with the unnamed Blackbird MMO in development at the studio being canceled and Joseph Burba slated to replace Matt Firor as the new head of the studio on July 14.[29]
Games developed
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Elder Scrolls Online[30] | macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Stadia | |
| 2016 | Doom | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia | Additional work[15] |
| 2018 | Fallout 76 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Additional work[16] |
Cancelled games
edit| Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commander Keen[31] | Android, iOS | Cancelled[32] |
| Project Blackbird[a] | Unknown | Cancelled |
References
edit- ^ a b "ZeniMax Online Studios". Zenimaxonline.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ "The Elder Scrolls Online: Reinventing a Franchise in an Online World | GamesIndustry International". Gamesindustry.biz. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Dobson, Jason (August 1, 2007). "Bethesda Parent Company Announces ZeniMax Online Studios". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "ZeniMax Online Studios". Zenimaxonline.com. August 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Alexander, Leigh. "News - ZeniMax Online Studios Licenses Simutronics HeroEngine For New MMO". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "ZeniMax Online Studios". Zenimaxonline.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Remo, Chris (March 15, 2010). "ZeniMax Online Adopts Fork Particle Tech For MMO". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Graft, Kris (March 15, 2011). "Bethesda Sibling ZeniMax Online Founding Ireland Office To Support 'Future MMOs'". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Chester, Chris (November 26, 2007). "Zenimax Online bulks up with HeroEngine | Massively". Massively.joystiq.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "ZeniMax Online Studios Selects Splunk as its Engine for Machine Data". Splunk. August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "ZeniMax Online Studios". Elastic Path. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Biessener, Adam (May 3, 2012). "June Cover Revealed: The Elder Scrolls Online". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Sliva, Marty (June 10, 2013). "E3 2013: Elder Scrolls Online Coming to PS4, Xbox One". IGN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ Cunningham, Enda (December 17, 2015). "Game's over for software giants as Galway loses 300 jobs". Connacht Tribune. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Bethesda Joins Xbox – Roundtable". YouTube. March 11, 2021. Event occurs at 37:18. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "Todd Howard nous parle de Fallout 76". YouTube. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (July 2, 2025). "A new MMO in development at Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax has been cancelled as Microsoft puts thousands more people out of work". PCGamer. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ a b Schreier, Jason (July 3, 2025). "Xbox Executives Were Blown Away by an Upcoming Game. Then They Canceled It". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^ "ZeniMax Online Studios forms new satellite studio in San Diego". GamesIndustry.biz. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Product Development in the Gaming Industry — Ben Jones, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios". YouTube. October 21, 2022. Event occurs at 2:00. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Bass, Dina; Schreier, Jason (September 21, 2020). "Microsoft to Buy Bethesda for $7.5 Billion to Boost Xbox". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (March 9, 2021). "Microsoft confirms its Bethesda acquisition is complete and 'some games' will be exclusive". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Száler, Martin (April 5, 2023). "A Bethesda anyavállalata megszerezte a magyar Nemesys Games csapatát, így már Budapesten is van irodája". IGN Hungary (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "Bethesda Quietly Acquired Nemesys Games Last Year, Now ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (January 3, 2023). "Microsoft is now the home of the video game industry's largest union". Engadget. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Gallagher, Danny (December 13, 2024). "ZeniMax Online Studios workers form their own union". Engadget. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ Shanklin, Will (June 6, 2024). "Microsoft and CWA forge labor neutrality agreement covering all ZeniMax workers". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Kilkenny, Katie (May 30, 2025). "After Strike Threat, Video Game Workers and Microsoft-Owned ZeniMax Media Reach Tentative Agreement". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 2, 2025). "Unannounced MMO From The Elder Scrolls Online Dev Canceled, Veteran Studio Head Steps Down Amid Microsoft Layoffs". IGN. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ Gardner, Jack (May 3, 2012). "June Cover Revealed: The Elder Scrolls Online - Features". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Jones, Richard (June 10, 2019). "A new Commander Keen game has been unveiled – but only for mobile". pcgamesn.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- ^ Bald, Cameron (June 29, 2020). "Bethesda's Commander Keen mobile game has seemingly been scrapped". www.pocketgamer.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
Notees
edit- ^ production name