Many fans were left shocked when the news broke back in September that Microsoft had acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. Naturally, the biggest piece of this acquisition was Bethesda Softworks and its various studios and valuable IPs like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. With new games like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield having been previously announced, many wondered what this would mean for the games futures on non-Xbox platforms. While Microsoft has danced around the topic, news has finally arrived as to what the company plans to do going forward.
Last week at the Jeffries Interactive Entertainment Virtual Conference, Xbox Chief Financial Officer Tim Stuart addressed the future of Bethesda and Zenimax games and how it handles cross-platform titles. Essentially, Stuart announced a new plan of cross-platform games being "first or better or best" on Xbox platforms at launch. Stuart also confirmed that Microsoft has no plans to pulling any Bethesda content from rival platforms like the Nintendo Switch or PlayStation brand products either.
While he didn't go into specifics as to what this means, fans can likely expect Xbox versions of Bethesda or ZeniMax games to have additions, either features or content, that make the Xbox version the best place to play the game. It's also likely that each game will be different in terms of what exclusive feature it offers or perhaps releasing either the game itself or content first on Xbox, but it's clear that Microsoft wants the games to be more appealing within the Xbox ecosystem.
Naturally, this isn't a one size fits all solution for Bethesda and ZeniMax. Microsoft's Game Pass service has already seen a huge boost with Bethesda titles being added after the acquisition and fans can certainly expect to see all future releases added at launch as well. However, Phil Spencer previously mentioned that the company will determine a case by case release plan for all future games when it comes to cross-platform titles like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield. While it's hard to see major franchises going Xbox exclusive, Microsoft hasn't completely ruled anything out.
With no release date in sight for either Starfield or The Elder Scrolls, fans will likely need to wait a while before Microsoft fully details a plan. For now, not much is changing for fans as Deathloop remains a likely timed PS5 console exclusive and Fallout 76 is on the verge of receiving another major content update involving the Brotherhood of Steel. New rumors are also hinting that Bethesda studios in Montreal and Austin are working on a new game thanks to a few new career opportunities appearing online.
Source: SeekingAlpha