With Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media approved by regulators in both the United States and Europe, the company is reportedly planning a special video presentation that will explain what the deal means for the companies involved and Bethesda’s games in regards to Xbox Game Pass.
The report comes from VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, who has proven reliable with this sort of information in the past. Grubb says that while Microsoft is unlikely to go into specifics about Bethesda’s upcoming games (details on Starfield will probably come in the summer), the video presentation will instead explain what the acquisition means for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
One big question that’s on everyone’s mind is: Will future games from Bethesda be exclusive to the Xbox platform? Grubb says that it’s unclear whether this will be discussed in the rumoured Thursday video briefing. In a previous interview, Phil Spencer revealed that Bethesda coming to other consoles would be on a “case by case basis,” while Xbox chief financial officer told investors that Microsoft wants future Bethesda titles to be “either first or better or best” on Xbox platforms.
Grubb goes on to say that Microsoft and Bethesda will be keeping their summer showcases separate and are both preparing announcements for around the time of E3.
Many expect Microsoft to make a formal announcement about the deal and the rumoured video presentation either today or tomorrow. Until we hear anything concrete, this information should be taken with a pinch of salt and be treated as a rumour.
It’s official! Microsoft has now completed its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Phil Spencer also revealed that some future games from Bethesda will be exclusive to the Xbox platform and that more of Bethesda’s back catalogue will be coming to Xbox Game Pass later this week.
All eight of Bethesda Softwork’s development studios, which includes Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios, are all now part of the Xbox family.
“Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone,” Xbox head Phil Spencer wrote in a Wire post. “At every step building toward this moment, I’ve been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community-first approach of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players.”
Spencer then goes on to say that gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Xbox Game Pass “will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games,” which includes “some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”
The Xbox head rounds off the announcement by saying that Microsoft will be sharing more on what’s next for its teams later this year, but to “properly celebrate this special moment,” Microsoft says it will be bringing more of Bethesda’s back catalogue to Xbox Game Pass later this week.
