Among the over 9,000 employees that were laid off by Microsoft throughout 2025 included those formerly working at The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios. The studio was working on a title dubbed Project Blackbird at the time, which would ultimately get cancelled. While some of these former ZeniMax Online Studios employees would go on to found brand new team dubbed Sackbird Studios, others have now announced a new studio of their own: Ironroot Games.
Announcing its founding on social media, Ironroot Games has referred to itself as an independent, employee-owned studio “created by friends that want to make incredible games. Our team has come together to tell stories rooted in years of combined industry experience.” The studio has also confirmed that it has already begun development on its first project.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, former principal gameplay designer at ZeniMax Online Studios, Quentin Cobb, spoke about his decision to open his own studio. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I make my own game?’” Cobb recalled. He went on to speak about the industry as a whole being in the midst of a transition where the success of AA projects like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and smaller indie titles like Peak have proven that there is plenty of room for smaller studios. Principal gameplay designer and studio culture lead at Ironroot Games, Elaine Gómez, discussed how the former ZeniMax Online Studios developers can use this freedom to explore new ideas.
“These folks that have come from ZeniMax Online Studios [are] exploring things that perhaps they would never be able to explore in AAA, because things are a little bit more tight, prim, and proper,” she said. Cobb himself went on to note that the studio was created “out of wanting to do our own thing, to creatively spread our wings, and really explore a kind of game that we would want to make together in a really collaborative environment.”
As for experience in game development, Cobb, who has worked at major studios like ZeniMax Online Studios, Naughty Dog, Daybreak, and Sony, said that he is looking forward to working with a smaller studio. This, he noted, will also allow more of the developers to have a voice in the making of a game.
“Working in corporate AAA studios for so long, as someone that wasn’t a lead or a director, you really get put into a box of ‘do this one thing, right, and just do that. I think working on a small indie team, what’s incredibly valuable is everyone’s voice, everyone’s experience. We really encourage this. I want to hear from anybody on the team about design and the story. Everyone has valuable opinions,” he said.
Cobb and Gómez have also confirmed that the headcount at Ironroot Games will remain on the smaller side. Along with this, they also confirmed that employees will have quite a bit of freedom when it comes to defining their schedules.
“It’s working with folks’ schedules and their priorities in life, but still trying to make this game together, this prototype, put these ideas in-engine,” she explained. “[We’re] conscious of people’s lives and the fact that it’s important for folks to make sure that they’re paying their bills. As much as we would love Ironroot to do that, we are getting there, but we’re setting ourselves up for success in order to be able to do that.”
We are Ironroot Games, a brand new independent game studio created by friends that want to make incredible games. Our team has come together to tell stories rooted in years of combined industry experience. Our first project is in development. ironrootgames.com
— Ironroot Games (@ironrootgames.com) 2025-11-25T16:57:59.939Z
