Are future Bethesda games going to have Xbox exclusivity? Phil Spencer has finally answered that question during a recent Microsoft event.
During the roundtable event, Spencer was asked to clarify Microsoft’s intentions regarding Bethesda games releasing on other platforms. The Xbox boss’ answer was pretty transparent and reiterated previous comments made about decisions being made on a “game by game” basis.
“’m gonna try to be as clear as I can, because that’s what, I, I just think it’s fair. So obviously, I can’t sit here and say every Bethesda game is exclusive because we know that’s not true,” he said.
“There’s contractual obligations that we’re going to see through as we always do in every one of these instances. We have games that exist on other platforms, and we’re going to go support these games on the platforms they’re on.”
Dissecting that, it’s probably safe to assume the contractual obligations refer to Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo. These two Bethesda games will be timed PS5 exclusives. We already know both of these games won’t be affected by the Bethesda and Microsoft buy-out.
As for the rest, Spencer has made it pretty clear that not all future Bethesda games will be Xbox exclusives. However, the Xbox chief went on to confirm, yeah, some of them will be exclusive to Xbox Game Pass users.
“But if you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is this is about delivering great exclusive games for you, that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists, and that’s our goal,” Spencer continued, confirming that yes, Game Pass will have some exclusive Bethesda titles.
Bethesda has a huge legacy, so its involvement with platforms outside of the Xbox ecosystem is a must. That being said, future Bethesda games like The Elder Scrolls could be free from “contractual obligations”. Ultimately, this means that exclusivity is going to be a big part of Bethesda’s future.
Xbox Game Pass now has 20 Bethesda titles as part of its console and PC lineup. While these games are available on other platforms, the fact they’re part of the Game Pass subscription is sure to draw players towards the service.
While the news will be a disappointment to some, it’s pretty much what we expected. Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda was one of the most expensive deals in video game history. Why pay such a huge sum without getting some exclusivity?
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Featured Image Credit: Microsoft