New details on ZeniMax Online Studios' cancelled MMO
, by Thibaut
We knew very little of what was to be ZeniMax Online Studios' next MMO, now freshly canceled by Microsoft as part of its latest round of layoffs.
Development had begun in 2018 and that almost 200 people were working on the title. Today, the TrueAchievements website claims to have obtained previously unpublished information on the game, which was codenamed Blackbird.
In Blackbird, the player would have taken on the role of a “Revenant”, an agent working for alien syndicates on an isolated planet called Soteria. Because of an infinite sun, one side of the planet was always burning, while the other was plunged into eternal cold. At the center of this world, in the heart of the habitable zone, was the Twilight Band. The capital Exodus would have been the central location for this adventure.
We could have explored a vast open world, discovering the secrets of the hovering megalopolis whose systems were managed by a conscious AI called PAN. There were side quests that highlighted the game's lore. Public events were also included. A housing system, avatar customization options, a PvP dimension and daily rewards were also on the agenda. A skill system was even in the works.
Over time, ZeniMax's ambition was to offer new weekly, monthly and quarterly events, as well as additional story chapters with additional neighborhoods, zones and quests.
The developers wanted to make the gameplay accessible like Destiny, dynamic like Warframe, and all set in a mysterious world a la Horizon Zero Dawn. Exodus would take the form of a vertical playground, explorable with a grappling hook. It was clearly possible to climb and run on any surface. The experience was intended to be accessible and easy to learn.
Source: trueachievements.com