As part of the restructuring at XBOX, the team at ZeniMax Online Studios lost about half of its employees. It has been reported that the list of affected personnel included several executives.
The Elder Scrolls Online
The layoffs were noted by Game File journalist Stephen Totilo, who examined an internal memo to studio employees and documents filed with the Maryland state authorities.
In particular, Joseph Burba, the studio head since July last year, is leaving ZeniMax Online Studios. Interestingly, the previous head, Matt Firor, also stepped down during a major round of layoffs at XBOX, suggesting a pattern might be emerging.
Those also affected by the layoffs include:
- Studio Game Director Rich Lambert;
- Production Director Ala Diaz;
- Executive Producer of The Elder Scrolls Online Susan Kath.
According to Totilo, unlike the laid-off regular employees, the executives at ZeniMax Online Studios will remain for some time to transition their duties to successors. This process is expected to take several months. While the names of the new managers have not been disclosed, it is known that the head of the studio role will now be shared by two individuals: former Head of Business Operations Josh Henderson and former Game Director of The Elder Scrolls Online Nick Giacomini.