Following thousands of layoffs and numerous reportedly canceled internal projects at Microsoft, ex-Elder Scrolls Online developers have started their own company, Sackbird Studios.

The newly announced development studio is already working on a new and original project for both PC and consoles, though they’ll share the first information “when the game is ready.”

Sackbird Studios is founded by former leads and key contributors to Elder Scrolls Online and core developers from the ambitious but ultimately canceled Project Blackbird. The studio describes themselves as a “developer-first environment with a long runway and a tight, senior team” and is currently employing under ten people.

“After years in AAA, we wanted the freedom to take smart risks without waiting for a greenlight or chasing quarterly targets,” said David Worley, COO at Sackbird Studios in a press release. “We’re fully employee-owned and funded, which means we only answer to people who are passionate about games.” 

Sackbird Studios CEO Lee Ridout added, “We’re grateful for our time at ZeniMax Online Studios; it shaped us as developers and as people. When I learned that Blackbird was being cancelled and a lot of people were losing their jobs, it lit a fire. We realized the best way to protect our craft—and our team—was to create a studio where creative independence isn’t negotiable.”