Microsoft has gone on quite the acquisition spree in the last few years, buying and supporting several development studios under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. At first things were slow, but eventuallyXboxwould expand out to the likes of Ninja Theory, Obsidian, Rare, Double Fine, and several more. Today, Xbox spreads its influence even further with the acquisition of Bethesda and the overarching Zenimax Media. That means the likes ofDoom,The Elder Scrolls,Fallout,Dishonored, andWolfensteinare now first-party Xbox franchises.
Soon pre-orders will go up for theXbox Series X, and this news about Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition couldn’t have come at a better time. Bethesda games, despite in some cases having exclusivity deals with PlayStation, could become Xbox & PC exclusives in the future. While some may have doubted Xbox’s first-party offerings before, Bethesda games are a huge get for Microsoft. These games also help bolster the value of Game Pass immensely, as future first-party Bethesda games will come day-and-date to Xbox’s games subscription.
Microsoft Makes a Huge Acquisition
Considering pre-orders for Xbox Series X/S begin tomorrow, September 22, this announcement couldn’t have come at a more prime time.Existing games likeFallout 76,Doom Eternal,Wolfenstein: Youngblood, as well as upcoming projects likeThe Elder Scrolls 6,Starfield,Ghostwire: Tokyo, all of which falls under the Bethesda Game Studios banner. Now every single one of these games falls under the Xbox Game Studios banner as well, which means a couple things. Not only will future Bethesda projects be Xbox and PC exclusives, they’ll also be on Game Pass from the get-go.
The Future of Bethesda/Zenimax Under Microsoft
In terms ofBethesda/Zenimax’s future under Xbox’s wing, not a whole lot is going to change. Among the many other developers under the Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft’s approach to studio acquisitions has largely been hands off. Generally the support of the games is there, and really the only major difference is with platform exclusivity, which is usually the point of making studio acquisitions like these. Which means Bethesda fans who typically play on PlayStation may not be in luck when it comes to futureFalloutorElder Scrollstitles. That being said, future Bethesda titles will release on other platforms on a “case by case basis,” according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
However, that doesn’t mean current exclusivity agreements with PlayStation will be null and void. Upcoming titles that have already been confirmed for PS5 are still releasing there, no titles are being pulled from any platforms at this moment.Specifically in the cases ofDeathloopandGhostwire: Tokyo, both games will still remain PS5 timed-exclusives (with the exception of PC) and won’t have any release platforms changed as a result of the deal. In the immediate future, not much is changing, but soon Bethesda Game Studios titles will be Xbox and PC exclusive.
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Putting the Pressure On Sony’s Exclusives
In the end, this is all in service to putting the pressure back on Sony, who’s consistently used exclusives against Xbox. Now Sony once again finds itself at the other end of the stick, as Bethesda/Zenimax is generally responsible for some of the greatest games of all time. Granted Sony’s definitely not lacking in the exclusives department comparatively, but the acquisition doesshorten the gap between PlayStation and Xbox’s first-party studiosby a great deal. An acquisition as large as this was bound to happen in general, considering how many studios Xbox has been picking up in the last five years alone.
The future of Microsoft and Xbox is certainly looking bright,especially with Bethesda and Obsidian in its court. Not to mention making this kind of huge announcement just a day before Xbox pre-orders are live. Of course this isn’t some kind of “console war” declaration of victory, PlayStation and Xbox will still certainly do quite well this fall. That being said, Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition definitely brings up the pedigree of its first-party offering way higher than it already was.
