Published 16:21 IST, September 22nd 2020
Microsoft buys Bethesda's parent company: Will Bethesda games be Xbox exclusives?
Microsoft has acquired Bethesda Softworks' parent company ZeniMax Media. Will Bethesda games be Xbox exclusive? Continue reading for all the details.
Microsoft is one of the biggest contributors in the video game industry. The tech giant is among the top console makers in the world and its gaming studio is responsible for creating some of the most popular game titles over the years. The company continues to expand its reach in gaming which is evident by its recent acquisition of ZeniMax Media.
Microsoft buys Bethesda Softworks' parent company
Microsoft has acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks in a staggering $7.5 billion deal. Bethesda Softworks has published some of the biggest game titles including the likes of Doom, Skyrim, Fallout, and many more.
Will Bethesda games be Xbox exclusive?
Ever since the news broke out, gaming fans have been wondering if all the future Bethesda game releases will be exclusive to Xbox consoles. To address the question, Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg that future games from Bethesda will be released on PC and Xbox consoles. However, he also revealed that the company will evaluate the multiplatform game releases on a case-by-case basis.
This means that some of the new titles may also be released on other gaming platforms. In addition, Spencer also confirmed that Xbox will honour the PlayStation 5 timed exclusivity deal for Arkane Studios’ Deathloop and Tango Gameworks’ Ghostwire: Tokyo which was announced earlier.
Bethesda had signed a PS5 exclusivity deal with Sony just a few months ago. However, it should be noted that both the titles will remain exclusives on the PS5 for a certain time period and will eventually release on other platforms as well. The two video games have been scheduled to release in 2021.
But even though the two video games arrive exclusively on the PS5, it is clear that the acquisition will give Xbox an advantage for future releases. This is especially considering that Xbox has always lacked a portfolio of promising exclusive titles, unlike its rival. It is also obvious that launching the newest exclusive titles on Xbox Game Pass on launch will attract more gamers to the service.
Image credits: Microsoft Xbox
Updated 16:21 IST, September 22nd 2020