Kotaku⁠73%

The Elder Scrolls Online Team Seemingly Gutted By Xbox Layoffs, Says Game’s Roadmaps ‘Will Be Shifting’ ⁠23%

By Rebekah Valentine⁠48%

7/6/2026, 9:10:42 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 25 faulty reasoning types, including Ambiguity (Equivocation), Biased Writer Voice, and Negativity Bias, with Unattributed Quote as the most egregious example at 43.9% saturation with 225 hits. Analysis detected 1,590 faulty-reasoning hits from 513 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 36.3% and a BS Rank of ⁠23% (16,912 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 77.30% of the article peer group.

<i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i> appears to have been heavily impacted following <a href="https://kotaku.com/xbox-layoff-3200-most-significant-restructure-history-2000712836">today&#8217;s sweeping cuts across Xbox</a>. 
Sources speaking to <i>Kotaku</i> have shared that the impact of the cuts on Zenimax Online Studios, developer of <i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i>, have been brutal. 
Shortly after the news of layoffs broke this morning, individuals began getting invites to group meetings with HR, where they were laid off alongside their colleagues. 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/content/? 
keywords=zenimax&amp;origin=FACETED_SEARCH&amp;sortBy=%5B%22date_posted%22%5D">Over 20 individuals</a> have already posted about being laid off from Zenimax on LinkedIn, with more across other social platforms. 
Many reported having long tenures with the company; several over ten years. 
While the total number impacted on <i>ESO</i> is unknown, multiple individuals within Zenimax have suggested to <i>Kotaku</i> that the total number impacted could be as much as half the development team. 
In a <a href="https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/695707/an-update-from-the-eso-team">post on the <i>ESO</i> forums</a>, community manager Jessica Folsom has said the team wants to &#8220;reaffirm our commitment to <i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i>. 
&#8221; However, &#8220;the roadmaps we previously shared will be shifting. 
&#8221; 
<blockquote><p>We want to take the time to evaluate the work in front of us and then lock down an updated schedule. 
While we&#8217;d love to share a concrete details today, stepping back to get our plans straight will let us come back to you with a clear timeline.</p></blockquote> 
<strong>Update 12:30pm ET: </strong>Kotaku understands that earlier today, an email was sent out to Bethesda and Zenimax employees including those on the <i>ESO</i> team, saying the restructuring was for the purposes of improving long-term growth. 
Going forward, Bethesda plans to focus on its biggest franchises: <i>Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom,</i> and <i>Quake</i>. 
Employees were also told that existing commitments, such as the upcoming <i>ESO</i> Season 2 that launches in a few days, as well as the upcoming <i>Doom</i> DLC and QuakeCon this year, will continue as planned, though there was no information on future updates or iterations of these things. 
<strong>Original story continues:</strong> 
Multiple individuals from Zenimax, both those impacted by the layoff and those still employed, expressed to <i>Kotaku</i> a deep uncertainty as to how <i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i> would continue to function with so few people remaining. 
The game has been online since 2014 after a seven-year development period. 
As of 2024 it had generated $2 billion in revenue, had been played by 24 million people, and was <a href="https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-elder-scrolls-online-has-earned-15m-every-month-since-2014/">allegedly bringing in around $15 million per month</a>. 
It has seen eight major expansions, with its most recent, Gold Road, having launched in June of 2024, and has since moved to a seasonal structure. 
Season 2 officially launches in two days. 
The<em> Elder Scrolls Online</em> team was also heavily impacted by last year&#8217;s layoffs, which resulted in the cancelation of the internal &#8220;Project Blackbird. 
&#8221; In the last several years, the game&#8217;s developers have formed two unions: one for QA, and one for the rest of the team, <a href="https://kotaku.com/xbox-unions-layoffs-help-2000711624">both of which have joined their colleagues in CWA</a> in demanding negotiation of layoff terms for impacted workers. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 6.0%Rebekah Valentine: 4.5%Kotaku: 4.4%Confirmation Bias6.0%This article: 6.8%Rebekah Valentine: 1.3%Kotaku: 1.6%Anchoring Bias6.8%This article: 15.8%Rebekah Valentine: 3.5%Kotaku: 4.0%Availability Heuristic15.8%This article: 3.9%Rebekah Valentine: 0.5%Kotaku: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic3.9%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 1.1%Kotaku: 1.0%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 5.5%Rebekah Valentine: 2.3%Kotaku: 1.7%Overconfidence Bias5.5%This article: 12.5%Rebekah Valentine: 3.8%Kotaku: 5.8%Framing Effect12.5%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 1.1%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 7.6%Rebekah Valentine: 0.4%Kotaku: 1.1%Status Quo Bias7.6%This article: 4.5%Rebekah Valentine: 1.1%Kotaku: 0.4%Sunk Cost Effect4.5%This article: 10.3%Rebekah Valentine: 3.5%Kotaku: 2.9%Optimism Bias10.3%This article: 11.3%Rebekah Valentine: 3.7%Kotaku: 3.4%Pessimism Bias11.3%This article: 21.8%Rebekah Valentine: 9.1%Kotaku: 13.5%Negativity Bias21.8%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 3.9%Kotaku: 2.0%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.5%Kotaku: 1.5%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 0.3%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 8.4%Rebekah Valentine: 0.5%Kotaku: 1.3%In-Group Bias8.4%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 0.3%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 5.3%Kotaku: 3.6%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 0.3%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 0.1%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 14.2%Rebekah Valentine: 1.9%Kotaku: 2.4%Recency Bias14.2%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.9%Kotaku: 0.6%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 0.0%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 1.3%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.3%Kotaku: 0.6%Straw Man0.0%This article: 12.3%Rebekah Valentine: 1.9%Kotaku: 2.6%Appeal to Authority12.3%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 1.3%Kotaku: 2.3%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.4%Kotaku: 1.0%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 0.2%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 8.4%Rebekah Valentine: 5.8%Kotaku: 9.4%Hasty Generalization8.4%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 0.3%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.9%Kotaku: 1.1%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 8.4%Rebekah Valentine: 2.8%Kotaku: 5.8%Appeal to Emotion8.4%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 0.9%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 12.9%Rebekah Valentine: 1.5%Kotaku: 2.4%Post Hoc (False Cause)12.9%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.4%Kotaku: 0.3%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 6.8%Rebekah Valentine: 1.0%Kotaku: 0.7%Burden of Proof6.8%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.2%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.5%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 21.8%Rebekah Valentine: 3.7%Kotaku: 4.3%Anecdotal21.8%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 25.0%Rebekah Valentine: 1.4%Kotaku: 2.0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)25.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.7%Kotaku: 0.5%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 43.9%Rebekah Valentine: 1.5%Kotaku: 2.8%Unattributed Quote43.9%This article: 5.1%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 1.6%Quote-first Misdirection5.1%This article: 24.6%Rebekah Valentine: 7.7%Kotaku: 15.3%Biased Writer Voice24.6%This article: 8.4%Rebekah Valentine: 0.2%Kotaku: 2.4%Indoctrination8.4%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.1%Kotaku: 0.6%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Rebekah Valentine: 0.0%Kotaku: 0.1%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 3.9%Rebekah Valentine: 0.8%Kotaku: 3.5%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…3.9%

513 words analyzed.

Speakers

2speakers20%attributed speech410writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 25 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 20 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 31 words • 100.0% coverageJessica Folsom • 26 words • 100.0% coverageJessica Folsom • 10 words • 100.0% coverageJessica Folsom • 1 words • 0.0% coverageJessica Folsom • 21 words • 0.0% coverageJessica Folsom • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 35 words • 100.0% coverageBethesda • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 48 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 36 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 28 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 7 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 43 words • 100.0% coverage
Selected voice

Jessica Folsom

99%flagged-word coverage
85 attributed words83% of attributed speech90% writer coverage
0%27.5%55.0%Unattributed Quote-40.7 ptsWriter: 52.4%Jessica Folsom: 11.8%11.8%Biased Writer Voice+12.0 ptsWriter: 19.8%Jessica Folsom: 31.8%31.8%Quote-first Misdirection+30.6 ptsWriter: 0.0%Jessica Folsom: 30.6%30.6%Indoctrination-10.5 ptsWriter: 10.5%Jessica Folsom: 0.0%0.0%Attempt to Sell a Product -4.9 ptsWriter: 4.9%Jessica Folsom: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.