Microsoft‘s approach to its next-gen development seems to be to acquire as many studios as possible and put them all under the banner of Xbox Game Studios. Some of the earlier studio acquisitions, like Ninja Theory and Obsidian Entertainment, garnered decent amounts of hype in the past. However, it’s hard to compare to the fan-speculations and hype generated by Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda Softworks’ parent company, ZeniMax Media, for a total sum of $7.5 billion.
While the deal was announced late last year, much of what the deal implied was shrouded in mystery. However, the recent approval by the European Commission has completed the deal, and fans have been treated to some well-requested information on the matter. In addition to Xbox receiving some exclusive titles in the future, fans now know exactly what Microsoft is getting as a part of the acquisition.
Microsoft has been working upon expanding its roster of studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner, with the acquisition of studios such as Undead Labs and Double Fine Studios in the past. Even before Xbox acquired ZeniMax Media, it already had a whopping 15 studios under its belt, arguably more than enough to convince many gamers to invest in an Xbox Game Pass membership. Now that the acquisition is complete, Microsoft is adding eight new studios to the now-23 Xbox Game Studios.
The biggest mammoth is definitely Bethesda Game Studios, the developers behind the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises. Arkane Studios, most famous for its work on the Dishonored series and the highly anticipated Deathloop, will also be joining. Wolfenstein developer MachineGames and id Software, known for its work on Doom and Rage, will also be part of Xbox Game Studios. The Evil Dead and Ghostwire: Tokyo developer, Tango Gameworks, will also be joining along with mobile developer Alpha Dog Studios. Lastly, the newly-formed Roundhouse Studios will also fall under the banner of Xbox Game Studios, rounding out the eight ZeniMax studios.
Microsoft, and by extension Xbox, seems to be gaining a lot from this deal because of the sheer diversity in expertise these studios offer. When added to Microsoft’s already bursting catalog of first-party developers, it’s already encouraging to think of all the great things achievable with such a talented team of studios.
The Microsoft-Bethesda deal has given way to a bunch of new rumors and speculations, but the most talked-about seems to be about the exclusivity of future games on the Xbox platform. Phil Spencer has now stated that some future Bethesda games would be exclusive to the Xbox family of consoles and PC. However, Microsoft has chosen to honor the existing Bethesda exclusivity deals such as Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop‘s timed exclusivity on the PlayStation platform.
Prior to the deal’s finalization, Phil Spencer and other Xbox officials refrained from talking on the matter. Now that the ball has been set in motion, more wind has been given to rumors regarding the exclusivity of games like The Elder Scrolls 6 for the Xbox family of consoles. While there is no definitive answer available at the moment, the Bethesda Xbox event seems to be a great chance to clear the air regarding such questions.
For the time being, the most obvious answer seems to be evaluating each game on a case-by-case basis. Live service titles like Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online already exist on other platforms, and it makes sense to keep future titles of the same genre multi-platform. Highly anticipated single-player titles such as The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield could do wonders for driving console sales, hence they have a decent chance of being exclusives. Either way, Microsoft and Xbox now have the power to decide the fate of future Bethesda games on other platforms, and it remains to be seen how Microsoft chooses to honor the developer’s fans on other platforms.
As a token of gratitude to its fans, Microsoft will be adding a bunch of highly-requested Bethesda games on Xbox Game Pass this week. The deal also comes with a promise of providing future Bethesda titles available on launch via Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass is great for gaming funk, and the addition of Bethesda’s diverse portfolio consisting of RPGs, open-world games, and shooters makes the prospect of investing in a subscription very easy to digest. While this may be more of a win for gamers already owning an Xbox Game Pass subscription, it would be monumental for Microsoft in making the service a quintessential part of owning an Xbox console.
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