ZeniMax Online's cancelled MMORPG 'Blackbird' was a third-person shooter akin to Destiny

New details on ZeniMax Online's cancelled MMO have surfaced, revealing what could have been Microsoft's own unique answer to Destiny.

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Budget cuts, game cancellations, studio closures, and layoffs hit Xbox as Microsoft cuts over 9,000 jobs across the corporation. One of the cancelled games was a promising new MMO project at ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS) set in a fresh IP, and sources tell Bloomberg's Jason Schreier that this particular game was the apple of Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer's eye during a playtest session.

New reports say that ZeniMax Online's new game, codenamed 'Blackbird,' was a third-person shooter with MMO elements similar to Bungie's Destiny. The game was the beginning of what was hoped to turn into a franchise, set in a new universe with a cyberpunk-ish design described as a sci-fi style with classic noir overtones.

'Blackbird' would have focused heavily on vertical movement schemes and bombastic action, sources tell Bloomberg, with double jumps, air dashes, and even a grappling hook.

Interestingly enough, the shooter was also being built in a brand new engine. This could have been seen as a high risk to Microsoft after 343 Industries' debacles with a similar workflow during Halo Infinite's tumultuous development cycle.

Xbox management apparently adored ZeniMax's new creation, and it was said in the report that Xbox CEO Phil Spencer was so entranced by 'Blackbird' that his colleague, studios head Matt Booty, had to physically take the controller away from Spencer.

As we've reported, after 'Blackbird' was cancelled, ZeniMax Online Studios founder and director Matt Firor announced he was leaving the company.