Microsoft has confirmed that its acquisition of Bethesda means “some games” will be exclusive to the Xbox platform.
Phil Spencer made the announcement as part of an official news post titled “Officially Welcoming Bethesda to Team Xbox”. The post contains an explanation as to the future of Bethesda games on the Xbox platform, which explicitly mentions platform exclusivity:
“This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community. With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”
While the post doesn’t specifically mention PlayStation or Nintendo, it appears that the two consoles might lose out on Bethesda franchises in the future.
Xbox Game Pass continues to be at the forefront of Microsoft’s strategy, with Spencer claiming that “Bethesda understands the potential of Xbox Game Pass”. Whether or not Bethesda games could launch exclusively for Game Pass remains to be seen. However, the company plans to bring its future Bethesda titles to the service as they launch, meaning they’ll be on Game Pass from day one.
Last month, The Medium launched on Xbox Game Pass as a console exclusive. While the game is available on Steam and Xbox Game Pass, the game didn’t get a physical version for the Xbox platform. Instead, it appears that Blooper Team’s psychological horror is not just an Xbox console exclusive, but it’s also digital-only.
So, what does this have to do with Bethesda? Well, if Microsoft is planning on launching Bethesda games on Game Pass, perhaps future games will be consigned to a digital-only release. Not only would this entice more players to sign up to Game Pass, but it would also push the platform ever closer to the digital era.
Microsoft’s intentions for Bethesda are unclear at this stage, but Phil Spencer rounded off his news post with some positive news for Game Pass subscribers:
“In the meantime, to properly celebrate this special moment, we are bringing additional Bethesda games into Xbox Game Pass later this week. Stay tuned for more details!”
Xbox Game Pass is about to become a core part of the Bethesda experience. While Game Pass subscribers are gaining from the buy-out, gamers from other platforms could be about to lose out.
What’s your opinion on the future of Bethesda and Microsoft? Are you excited to see more Bethesda games on Xbox Game Pass?
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft