In the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, interviewed some key members of the publishing giant talking about the future of both companies as it pertains to the upcoming next gen consoles.
During the interview, executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard, who also released his own statement on the acquisition, commented on the relationship the developer has had with Microsoft dating back to the launch of The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind in 2002. Launching on the original Xbox, Morrowind was seen as an incredible achievement given the limitations of the Microsoft console, something the developer had to find a unique solution to while porting the game.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind required a ton of memory to track character quests, items, and world states, much more than the Xbox offered. Ultimately, this meant the developer had to find a way to maintain the same quality the game had on PC on the less powerful console. The developer settled with secretly rebooting the console during some load times to free up memory and keep the game running. Secretly rebooting the console seems bizarre, but certainly did the trick as the port was well received by long time fans of the series.
The acquisition caused some concern among dedicated fans of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls Online who are currently playing the game on the PlayStation 4. With rumors that Bethesda’s next gen offerings may be Xbox exclusive, PlayStation players are worried what that means going forward with live service game. The concern caught the attention of ZeniMax Online Studios director Matt Firor who Tweeted that the developer will still support The Elder Scrolls Online on all available platforms, including players of the PlayStation 4 version of the game. Though it was announced earlier in the year that next gen version of The Elder Scrolls Online would be free for current gen players, the acquisition could change plans for the series going forward, including the development of The Elder Scrolls 6.
While little is known about The Elder Scrolls 6, Todd Howard, has commented on the game’s development as it pertains to the recent acquisition. Howard has stated that access to next gen technology from Microsoft has helped improve the developer’s ability to optimize the upcoming game, including a major overhaul of the game engine the developer is using for both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, promising a generational leap within the games.
Despite ZeniMax Media now being under the Microsoft umbrella, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has stated ZeniMax will run in a “semi-independent” relationship, tangent to Microsoft’s other development studios. The news comes to the relief of many fans who fear that Microsoft will have a negative impact on the newly owned studios, allowing the unique identity of game franchises like Doom, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls to remain intact.
The Elder Scrolls Morrowind is available on PC and Xbox One through backward compatibility.
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