ZeniMax Online Studios has been supporting "The Elder Scrolls Online" for years, but that is not its only major project in the works. New details recently came to light about the studio's new IP, and it appears that its development has been given significant resources.
An earlier interview of ZeniMax Online Studios' creative director, Ben Jones, with the Product Builders Podcast, is making headlines recently after it was noticed (via Windows Central) that parts of the episode revealed new information on the studio's high-profile project.
Jones only referred to the project as a new IP and confirmed that it has been in the works for four years and a half already. He did not reveal specific details about the project's gameplay, though. But he revealed that its story has gone through several changes already.
The creative director said he is leading a team of around 50 people working on the game's design. But ZeniMax Online Studios dedicated nearly 200 developers to its development team. The mere size of these teams should give video game fans an idea of how significant this untitled project is. But in case it is not clear, Jones also said that the company has allotted a "considerable investment" for what he called "a very large-scope project."
The four-and-a-half-year development period lines up with what "Elder Scrolls Online" game director Matt Firor said in a June 2019 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine. "Not a lot of people have picked up on this, but if you look on our job site you'll see that we are accepting applications for people to work on a new engine for a new triple-A game," Firor confirmed at the time.
With ZeniMax Online Studios building a new engine and the lack of official announcements or teasers for its new IP, the development might still have a long way to go. As for the new IP's availability, it remains to be seen if it will be offered on platforms and services other than Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass. But if the upcoming launch of "Starfield" is any indication, it would not be surprising if this all-new title would be an Xbox exclusive.