ESO Reportedly Cuts Up to Half Its Team as Roadmap Gets Reworked

Reports indicate that up to half of the staff working on The Elder Scrolls Online has been laid off, leaving players wondering what happens next for ZeniMax Online Studios’ long-running MMORPG.

Xbox’s broader “reset” and what it means for ESO

Earlier today, Microsoft began carrying out its so-called “reset” of the Xbox brand by cutting thousands of employees. While the move doesn’t involve shutting down studios outright, it does include offloading teams from Xbox and either selling them to other companies or allowing them to pursue independent operations. Bethesda is also expected to narrow its focus to a smaller set of franchises going forward, including Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

Within that reshuffling, one of the studios reportedly hit hardest is ZeniMax Online Studios, though the exact number of affected employees has not been confirmed. This is not the first time ZOS has faced a major downsizing: Xbox previously reduced the studio’s workforce last year and canceled a sci-fi MMO project there.

Roadmap changes after major layoffs

Information shared in the report suggests that people connected to ZeniMax have voiced uncertainty about how The Elder Scrolls Online can continue after such a significant staffing cut. Rather than waiting, the team appears to be addressing the situation publicly through its community presence.

In a forum post, community manager Jessica Folsom told players that the game’s roadmap is being adjusted and that they’ll need time to reconsider what’s realistic before a new plan is published.

Folsom’s message included the following points:

• “Looking beyond Season One,” the roadmaps previously shared will be shifting.
• The team wants time to evaluate the work ahead before locking in an updated schedule.
• Even though the studio would like to provide concrete details immediately, stepping back is intended to produce a clearer timeline later.
• Players should expect an updated plan only after that evaluation is completed.

Player reaction: fear of “maintenance mode” and a shrinking future

With development capacity reportedly reduced so drastically, many players are bracing for what they consider the most likely outcome: a slow turn toward minimal updates. The question driving the conversation is not whether the game will still be playable, but how much ongoing support it will receive.

Some players point to recent direction changes as a warning sign. The Elder Scrolls Online has moved away from “Chapters” and larger expansion-style releases in favor of seasonal content, which some interpreted as the game already scaling back.

That context is fueling the belief that ESO’s future may be closing in on itself.

• One fan described the situation as difficult to read “as anything other than an intention to wind down the game.”
• Another player argued that MMORPGs struggle to survive if the community believes the title won’t grow, warning that limited expectations can lead to a “death spiral” where fewer people invest time and long-term planning becomes impossible.
• One prediction claimed ESO will likely enter “Maintenance Mode” within the next year, or at least a low-power state where hardly any new content arrives.
• That same commenter noted that the studio already reduced the amount of dungeons, expansion content, and zones earlier, and suggested the pace could drop even further now.
• They also compared the situation to Destiny 2, arguing that the cancellation of support for that game last month felt understandable due to how bad it had gotten, while insisting ESO still “has so much to give.”

Comparisons to other service games and what fans are doing now

As discussions grew, some players looked at other live-service titles to gauge what comes next. One fan specifically brought up Warhammer Online, saying it went through a similar pattern: half the team was laid off, including the face of the team, and the situation escalated from there.

Others compared the moment to Destiny even more directly. Earlier this summer, Bungie wound down support for Destiny 2, then later laid off hundreds of developers. Players noted that the game still works, but it no longer receives support. One commenter said they had moved from Destiny to The Elder Scrolls Online, only to feel burned by the new uncertainty.

The frustration boiled over in at least one reaction: “Noooo I just came to this game from Destiny. F–k me, man.”