Microsoft's ongoing layoffs have impacted the leadership team at ZeniMax Online Studios, developers of The Elder Scrolls Online. Studio head Jo Burba, executive producer Susan Kath, studio game director Rich Lambert, and production director Ala Diaz are among the departures.
Burba had assumed the role of studio head shortly before last year's significant layoffs at Microsoft. The departure of these key figures necessitates a transition to a new leadership structure for the massively multiplayer online game. According to a WARN notice, 379 ZeniMax jobs in Maryland have been eliminated in total as part of the recent cuts.
Microsoft plans to retain the outgoing leadership for a few months to facilitate the handover. Josh Henderson, ZeniMax's former head of business operations, and Nick Giacomini, who was promoted to ESO game director in August 2025, are expected to assume control. In a notice to ZeniMax staff, the departing developers expressed confidence in Henderson and Giacomini, stating, "With exciting experiences still ahead for our players as we wrap up work for Update 51 and beyond, we believe that your passion, creativity, and commitment to each other and the community will continue serving as the heartbeat of ESO."
However, the impact of these layoffs on the game's future content delivery has been met with concern. Senior encounter designer Morgan Goin, also laid off from ZeniMax, told the BBC that the studio will not be able to produce content at the same pace as before. Following the layoffs, ZeniMax stated that it would take time to "evaluate the work in front of us and then lock down an updated schedule."