The gaming community is still reeling from the recent news that Microsoft has bought out Bethesda, thus making beloved IPs like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom Xbox properties. While this is undeniably a win for Microsoft and is being received rather well by some, it has led to questions regarding whether this means all of Bethesda’s future titles will now be exclusive to the Xbox platform or if Microsoft will still allow them to be multiplatform.
This is especially the case with the likes of Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Deathloop has been heavily promoted by Sony due to it being a timed console exclusive for the PlayStation 5 (with it to presumably come to the Xbox Series X at a later date), while Ghostwire: Tokyo is currently scheduled as a PS5 and PC only title.
But with Microsoft’s acquisition, does this mean both games will jump ship and be exclusive to Xbox? As it turns out, no. According to Bloomberg, Xbox head Phil Spencer has clarified that the company intends to honor the exclusivity commitments, meaning so far that nothing is changing in regard to Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s releases. This likely also extends to the Switch release for Doom Eternal, which is still being worked on.
As for future Bethesda releases, they will most definitely release on Xbox and PC, but apparently they could come to other platforms on a “case by case basis.” This isn’t too surprising to hear; Microsoft has shown to be willing to allow certain exclusives to release on other consoles, with maybe the most notable examples being Minecraft and the two Ori games, with Ori and the Will of the Wisps very recently being released for the Nintendo Switch.
However, this is already leading to debates about whether Bethesda’s biggest franchises are now locked to the Xbox. For example, The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced in 2018, but no release platforms were confirmed. Given the popularity of the series, some fans think the game will still release on PlayStation, as keeping it only on Xbox and PC could be an unpopular move on Microsoft’s part.
But others have pointed out that it seems ridiculous for Microsoft to acquire Bethesda and not have its biggest and popular titles and franchises as Xbox exclusives. At the moment, the Xbox Series X is notably lacking in exclusives, with Sony having plenty to encourage people to purchase a PS5, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West.
A new Elder Scrolls or Fallout game appearing as an Xbox console exclusive could be what Microsoft needs to convince an audience to invest in its consoles over the PS5. Even if they do remain multiplatform, it’s been pointed out that having multiple Bethesda games as part of the Xbox Game Pass is a much better deal than having to individually buy them on the PS5.
For now, it’s arguably too early to tell, but the community is already looking at Sony to see if/how it will respond to much a momentous moment in the industry’s history.
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