Well, it’s a wonder what $7.5 billion can get these days.
Earlier last month, I published a post reporting how big game studios were in a bidding war to acquire Warner Bros Entertainment. It seems Microsoft didn’t back down in its attempt to dominate the gaming market by acquiring grounded studios.
Speaking of the $7.5 billion, that’s what Microsoft dished out for ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. In that sense, Bethesda, with all of its IPs and assets, is now officially owned by Microsoft. This means in the future, franchises like Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and more will only be exclusive to platforms favorable to Microsoft. (PC and Xbox).
Bethesda is the latest studio to be acquired by Microsoft, making all future Bethesda releases free on launch day for Game Pass owners: https://t.co/lJOYNM9y7M pic.twitter.com/OMs19s4A5K
— Game Informer (@gameinformer) September 21, 2020
Not only that, It also means that Bethesda will begin developing games exclusively for Xbox consoles like the Series X and S, and also for PC.
According to Xbox Phil Spencer, Bethesda’s library of games and its entire catalog will be available through Xbox Game Pass.
In his own words:
“We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. One of the things that have me most excited is seeing the roadmap with Bethesda’s future games, some announced and many unannounced, to Xbox console and PC including Starfield, the highly anticipated, new space epic currently in development by Bethesda Game Studios.”
Here’s what Xbox had to say about their relationship with Bethesda:
“Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world. Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first Doom and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years, I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming, and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.
Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of matches.
Like us, Bethesda is passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will, of course, continue and grow, and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you.”
This move is obviously a KILLER checkmate to Sony, which just unapologetically announced the PS5 release date last week. So sad…
However, this does not mean these titles will not be available on PS5; in fact, Bethesda confirmed that their current titles are being worked on at the moment and will still launch on PS5 as planned. While we don’t know what Microsoft is up to, it’s certain the future for these franchises on Sony is uncertain!
Check back for updates!