On September 21, a day before the Xbox Series X pre-orders go live, Microsoft made the shocking announcement that it was acquiring ZeniMax Media, which includes Bethesda as well as all of the studios that fall under that umbrella. For $7.5 billion, Microsoft fixed its Xbox exclusivity problem and added a slew of major, blockbuster IPs to its lineup of games. This is one of the biggest company acquisitions in the history of video games, and some may not even fully realize the scope of what this encompasses.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda includes some of the biggest video game franchises ever, potentially making them Xbox Series X console exclusives. While it’s possible Microsoft will still release some big Bethesda games on PS5, like how it does with Minecraft, one has to imagine that it would be more interested in bolstering the Xbox Series X’s lineup of exclusives.
Here are all the big game franchises Xbox now owns after the Bethesda acquisition.
The Dishonored series successfully put Arkane Studios on the map, with the original standing as one of the most critically-acclaimed stealth games of the Xbox 360/PS3 era. Dishonored 2 didn’t quite reach the same heights sales-wise, but it was still a major success with critics. And while Arkane is busy working on Deathloop right now, it’s quite likely that there will be new games in the Dishonored franchise at some point down the line.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda means that it also now has the rights to the Doom franchise, easily one of the biggest “gets” of the acquisition. The Doom franchise is one of the most iconic in video game history, revolutionizing the FPS genre and remaining relevant to this day. Doom Eternal is one of the top-rated video games of 2020 so far, and this acquisition means it will likely end up on the Xbox Game Pass service sooner rather than later.
While Fallout 76 may have soured some fans on Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic franchise, it has produced many more hits than it has misses. Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4 were all critically-acclaimed games, and there’s no doubt still a massive audience for the franchise. Not only that, but Microsoft’s control of the Fallout IP could potentially see Obsidian finally make Fallout: New Vegas 2, as Xbox now owns both Bethesda and Obsidian.
The Prey franchise has been through multiple periods of development hell, with the original game taking ages to release, and the sequel being scrapped only to be replaced by a completely new, more BioShock-like concept. While the Prey series has historically struggled, the resources it now has access to thanks to the Microsoft acquisition could see it make a comeback in a big way.
While Doom may get all the recognition nowadays, Quake‘s impact on the gaming industry can’t be denied either. Quake hasn’t enjoyed the same kind of comeback that Doom has, but now that Microsoft owns the IP, there is newfound hope that the Quake franchise could potentially have a major return to form on Xbox.
Rage and Rage 2 aren’t regarded quite as highly as Doom or Quake, but the series certainly has its fans. A potential third Rage game could address concerns fans had about the previous entries, and better-deliver on the franchise’s potential to be the Mad Max of video games.
Right now, Bethesda is hard at work on Starfield, a new science-fiction IP that is hotly anticipated by the company’s fans. Next to nothing about Starfield has been shown to date, but we do know that it will be the next game from Bethesda, set to launch at some point before The Elder Scrolls 6. Now that Starfield is likely an Xbox Series X console exclusive, it will be interesting to see if its scope and budget increase accordingly.
Arguably the most important franchise Xbox now owns as part of the Bethesda acquisition is The Elder Scrolls. Bethesda’s fantasy RPG series is one of the most popular video game franchises in the world, with The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim still going strong nearly 10 years after its launch. Like Starfield, not much is known about The Elder Scrolls 6, but we do know that the game is in active development. And if it ends up being an Xbox Series X console exclusive, millions of Elder Scrolls fans will suddenly have a big reason to purchase an Xbox Series X.
Famed game designer Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil franchise and the director of Resident Evil 4, one of the highest-rated games ever, is the CEO of Tango Gameworks, another studio Microsoft acquired with its ZeniMax Media purchase. Mikami’s talent and impact on the gaming industry can’t be understated, and now Microsoft owns the rights to Mikami’s horror series, The Evil Within.
Classic FPS series like Doom and Quake are now under the Xbox umbrella, and so too is Wolfenstein. MachineGames has done critically-acclaimed work with its most recent Wolfenstein titles, and it will definitely be interesting to see where the franchise goes next.
Besides the games listed here, there a number of smaller Bethesda titles and franchises that Xbox now owns. It also owns upcoming Bethesda games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, though Xbox will be honoring those games’ PS5 exclusivity agreements, at least for the time being. It’s possible that Deathloop and Ghostwire will come to Xbox Series X eventually, and it’s even likelier that the games’ sequels will come to Xbox Series X as well.
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