ZeniMax's Cancelled Project Blackbird: Leaked Footage Revealed

Two minutes of in-engine footage of ZeniMax Online Studio’s cancelled Project Blackbird has leaked online. The footage, which Insider Gaming can verify is legitimate, was used internally at ZeniMax to showcase the game’s lighting in Unreal Engine 4. You can see the two minutes of footage below: Project Blackbird was cancelled by Microsoft in July 2025 as a part of Microsoft’s mass layoffs, which also saw other projects at the publisher cancelled. Speaking with sources on Blackbird, the game was targeting a 2028 release date and had amazed Microsoft Gaming executives just months earlier during a presentation. As of the time of writing, Microsoft Gaming still haven’t given a reason as to why Blackbird was cancelled. The game’s cancellation led to the layoff of some 300 developers and the departure of studio president Matt Firor. What do you think of the footage of Project Blackbird? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server. For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the list of teams invited to IEM Rio by ESL