Rumor: New Fallout Games Were Made Priority Resulting In ZeniMax’s MMO Game Being Canceled

Fallout fans might be waiting for the next game, but it seems that there are a few projects in the works. One of those is the next major mainline installment. However, to make things work, Microsoft had to take the axe to a project. A rumor is circulating online that ZeniMax’s online MMORPG Blackbird was pushed to the side to focus more on Fallout’s future.

There’s been a lot of headline news lately for the folks at Microsoft. Unfortunately, most of those headlines were not positive, as we saw a lot of layoffs, cancellations, and even an entire studio being shut down. However, one other game that was scrapped was a new MMORPG being developed under ZeniMax. The game was called Blackbird, and from reports online, things were progressing well until its unexpected cancellation.

Today, thanks to a report from Rand al Thor 19’s latest podcast episode featuring Jez Corden, the duo talked about the situation. More specifically, it was Jez who came out and alerted listeners as to what they had heard about the project. According to Jez, ZeniMax’s project was viewed positively, but the overall struggle was with its competitors. Blackbird would need a lot of resources to get players on the game with already established IPs in the market, like World of Warcraft.

As a result, the project was scrapped to focus more efforts on future Fallout games instead. While we don’t know what exactly is officially in the works, Jez notes that one of the games is a new mainline installment. Fallout 5 has received the green light, though we’re uncertain who might be developing the game. Then there’s the speculation as to what other Fallout projects could be coming our way and when.

Fallout has a strong following now, especially thanks to the hit live-action series adaptation on Amazon Prime Video. While on the subject of the TV series, it’s worth pointing out Fallout 76. That’s an MMO Fallout experience that’s still actively supported. It was recently reported that Fallout 76’s development team is in talks with the TV series production team for crossovers. Just what the developers have planned to bring out for the next season remains a mystery. But at the very least, it looks like the developers are already ready to capitalize on the new season once it airs.