Bethesda Quietly Scraps Unannounced PvP Shooter as Layoffs Bite Deeper

The ongoing layoff storm at Bethesda has apparently claimed more than just jobs—it’s also buried an unannounced project before it ever saw the light of day. As spotted by eagle-eyed social media user Timur222, the LinkedIn profile of Alex Jones—a 12-year veteran of the company who was among those let go—notes that he “supported the production on an unannounced PvP FPS title (subsequently canceled),” contributing to scheduling and cross-team coordination. That’s about as official as a cancellation gets without an actual press release.

Beyond that single line, however, we’re left with more questions than answers. Jones’s mention of cross-team coordination at Bethesda Softworks as a whole—rather than specifically at Bethesda Game Studios—suggests the project could have been brewing at one of the publisher’s many satellite studios. The most plausible suspect? MachineGames, which was reportedly tinkering with a Rainbow Six Siege-esque attacker-vs-defender shooter. The studio never confirmed it, but the rumor mill had been churning for a while. If that was the project in question, it’s now dead in the water.

But MachineGames isn’t dwelling on what-ifs. Last year, fresh off wrapping up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle‘s Order of Giants expansion, studio co-founder and director Jerk Gustafsson reaffirmed the team’s commitment to the Wolfenstein series, which they’ve always viewed as a trilogy. “That journey, for B.J., even during those first weeks at id when we mapped out New Order, we still had the plan for, at least, that character,” he said. “I hope that we’re not done with Wolfenstein yet. We have a story to tell.” And according to recent reports following the Xbox-wide restructuring, a new Wolfenstein is indeed in the works, with Gustafsson himself now serving as president of Arkane—a shuffle that suggests the franchise remains a priority.

Speaking of priorities, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier took to social media to quell rumors that ZeniMax would be reduced to only Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. “ZeniMax will be impacted significantly by the reorganization but will NOT be reduced to only Fallout and The Elder Scrolls,” he posted. “The publisher will also still work on Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake.” So while the cancellation of one PvP shooter stings, the bedrock IPs appear safe—for now.

All of this unfolds against the grim backdrop of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s early-July announcement that roughly 1,600 jobs were being cut, with another 1,600 planned before the fiscal year ends. “I know this is painful,” she said. “These changes will directly affect people who have poured their creativity into building Xbox. Today’s decisions do not reflect their talent or dedication.” The restructuring also brought Helen Chiang in as Xbox’s new chief operating officer, tasked with direct P&L accountability moving forward.

For Bethesda, the canceled shooter is just one casualty in a much larger upheaval. Whether it was MachineGames’ Siege-like experiment or something from another studio, we may never know its full shape—but the industry’s appetite for PvP shooters remains insatiable, so don’t be surprised if another publisher picks up a similar concept down the line. For now, we raise a glass to the devs who poured years into a game that will never ship, and we keep our eyes on the studios still standing—because Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake aren’t going anywhere.