Microsoft’s sudden acquisition of Bethesda Game Studios sent shockwaves throughout the industry earlier today, leaving the fate of many beloved series up in the air. Predictably, news of the buyout triggered a chain of social media buzz, as many fans took to public forums to voice their concerns.
The announcement was met with an array of follow-up questions, some of which have been more-or-less answered by Phil Spencer’s original interview. Perhaps the most important widely-asked question, is whether or not Bethesda titles will continue to see multiplatform launches. First of all, upcoming PS5 exclusives Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo will remain untouched. However, future games from the veteran studio will release on PC, Xbox, and other platforms “on a case-by-case basis.”
As versatile as the wording may be, Spencer’s answer implies heavy bias towards Microsoft-geared content, of course; it seems quite likely that Bethesda will be producing plenty of Xbox/PC exclusives in the near future. Additionally, adding the studio’s acclaimed titles to Game Pass further increases the value of the online game catalog, as well as demonstrates Microsoft’s dedication to growing its subscriber count.
Nevertheless, the respective statement given by Todd Howard provides more hopeful phrasing regarding Bethesda’s chance at creating multiplatform games. He maintained, “like our original partnership, this one is about more than one system or one screen.” The length of Howard’s disclosure was brief, but he still took care to highlight Bethesda’s dedication in showcasing the power of games “regardless of …what you play on.”
Realistically, the likelihood of Bethesda solely targeting Xbox/PC exclusives is quite high. “On a case-by-case basis” is a safe answer to give, so while consoles outside of Xbox and PC are possible for Bethesda, it probably isn’t immediately in the cards.
Leading up to the release of the next-gen Xbox Series X, the purchase of ZeniMax Media is certainly a power-move by Microsoft. Although Sony’s exclusive lineup looks solid for the launch of the PS5, acquiring Bethesda and its many cherished series is a smart move for the long-term.
Source: Bethesda, Twitter
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