A group of ex-ZeniMax Online Studios developers have banded together in order to form a new company by the name of Sackbird Studios, and it's pledging to create "bold, character-driven experiences".
Several of the developers involved in the formation of Sackbird were previously working on looter shooter Project Blackbird for Xbox, but that project was reportedly canceled during Microsoft's recent layoff frenzy (which also saw studios like Rare and The Initiative impacted).
Now, however, as reported by Game Developer, a number of the staffers who were involved with that project, as well as with developing The Elder Scrolls Online, have formed Sackbird together, including luminaries like technical director Robert Ballantyne and tools engineer David Worley.
According to Sackbird itself, the studio is employee-owned and self-funded, and it will feature "no outside investors", thus giving its developers "full creative control". I really hope Sackbird can stick to those values in what is becoming an increasingly frantic and chaotic industry.
Worley says he and his team "wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets", and that the studio will "only answer to people who are passionate about games".
Other team...
