Former Elder Scrolls Online boss was told in 2001 that ‘There’s already enough MMOs out there, no one is ever gonna play a new one’
Matt Firor, founder of ZeniMax Online Studios, reflected on decades of industry skepticism during a recent MinnMax interview, sharing that he was told in 2001 that “there’s already enough MMOs out there, no one is ever gonna play a new one”—a prediction that proved spectacularly wrong just three years before World of Warcraft’s revolutionary 2004 launch.
During the discussion, Firor addressed the gaming industry’s current economic downturn and ZeniMax Online’s cancellation of Project Blackbird, an in-development MMO. Rather than accept the bleaker assessments circulating about gaming’s future, Firor maintained an optimistic outlook grounded in historical perspective. He characterized the current crisis as part of a natural boom-and-bust cycle that the industry has weathered before and will recover from again.
Firor’s comments positioned him in direct disagreement with analyst Matthew Ball’s recent high-profile report on the gaming industry’s dire state. While acknowledging that present conditions are challenging—particularly for expensive live-service projects like the shelved Blackbird—Firor suggested that cyclical downturns have historically preceded significant recoveries and industry revitalization.
The interview underscores the tension between industry veterans who have survived multiple cycles and contemporary analysts predicting fundamental structural decline. Firor’s anecdote about 2001 skepticism serves as a reminder that gaming industry predictions have frequently missed transformative moments, offering perspective on current concerns about MMO viability and the broader economic pressures facing development studios.