The Xbox layoffs announced earlier this month hit Bethesda Softworks particularly hard. The biggest losers were undoubtedly id Software (DOOM) and ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). The creators of The Elder Scrolls Online are once again in big trouble.
According to Game File, virtually the entire studio’s leadership team has been forced out. Several executives, including Joe Burba, who was named president of ZOS last July after 14 years with the company, are leaving. The Elder Scrolls Online’s executive producer, Susan Kath, game director, Rich Lambert, and production director, Ala Diaz, round out the list.
A new leadership team led by head of business operations Josh Henderson and Nick Giacomini, who was named game director in July 2025, will be put in place.
It’s certainly a significant shift for ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Change at the management level can bring both challenges and new opportunities. It will be interesting to see how this impacts The Elder Scrolls Online moving forward.