Last year, Microsoft announced it would be acquiring Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. It's now a done deal - with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, confirming everything has been finalised.
So, what does this mean for Bethesda games on other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch? In the same Xbox Wire post, Spencer noted how not only would Xbox, PC and Game Pass be the "best place" to play "new Bethesda games" but also how these platforms would be the only way to experience certain future titles.
"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."
In other words, don't be surprised when Bethesda announces some games exclusive to these specific platforms in the future. As for what IPs or series might be locked off, that's still anyone's guess.
What are your thoughts about certain Bethesda titles potentially becoming exclusive to Microsoft platforms? Comment below.
[source news.xbox.com, via purexbox.com]
Comments (74)
Let’s be honest, nothing on Switch will be affected by this.
Surprise, surprise...
So does this mean Nintendo and Sony are now DOOM?
Yet DeathLoop and Ghost Tokyo are still Playstation exclusives
I'm in my corner still hoping that both Morrowind and Oblivion eventually make the Switch.
@Tyranexx Dude. Don't tug at my heart strings like that! Admittedly, though, Morrowind's UI would need an extensive overhaul for all the text to be readable!
Gosh, now that's all I'm thinking about. THANKS
NINJA APPROVED
@Entrr_username Those games were locked in for PlayStation before this deal went through and both are timed exclusives.
Nintendo is no longer DOOOOOOMED!!!
@Entrr_username Yes, they are honoring the deals made before the acquisition. They are only exclusive for a year anyway and Microsoft still gets the cash so why not.
Elder Scrolls 6 will be an exclusive 100%. The marketing potential for a game like that is out of this world. Same for the next Fallout I would say. I can see games like Evil Within 3 (if it happens) or something similar being multiplatform though.
This is REALLY good for Xbox. They can have exclusive games now so they won't be mocked much anymore.
I agree that some Bethesda games SHOULD be exclusive to Xbox and PC
@Entrr_username TIMED PS exclusives.
It will come to xbox and PC eventually
Oh the joy of late stage capitalism! It won’t be long maybe a decade till the consolidation trend results in only two to four monolithic companies owning most game IPs.
@anoyonmus Actually they're already coming to PC.
@GrandScribe Wall-E warned us about a lot. We did not pay attention.
@Entrr_username whatever. Still
Well this is great for xbox because now the console will get more good games. Not say xbox has a bad library, just saying more good games are coming.
@Entrr_username Those contracts were made well in advance of this acquisition though.
@anoyonmus
Instead they’re now an all consuming blob so they can feed a subscription service that they obviously have plans to make all their stuff exclusive to in a twisted rebirth of the original Xbone vision where they wanted absolute control of game sales.
@SalvorHardin so we get to sign up to a subscription service and play more games for less money.. whats wrong with that?
@Guitario nothing wrong with that
As I've said many times before, I wouldn't begrudge MS for making every Bethesda property exclusive to Xbox. It only makes sense since they own them all.
Once I realized that Fallout would never see release on Switch in any other form but a cruddy mobile port, I stopped caring.
They were never my cup of tea, but it's nice to see Microsoft "saved" Bethesda from a possible, future bankruptcy. I don't think they could handle another Fallout 76 fiasco.
@BanjoPickles eh there is still a chance. but who knows tho
Newer titles would probably have to be cloud to work on switch
@BloodNinja Glad to be of service! Gotta stoke the idea factory occasionally!
Just hope the next DOOM and Wolfenstein games show up on the Switch's successor. Which, I don't expect those games until around that time anyway. Elder Scrolls VI is sooooo far off, that could be on the Switch 3.
how is this relevant to a nintendo website?
With all the studios they recently bought lately it's still boggles the mind why Microsoft couldn't make a new Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Cry On, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, or Jet Force Gemini game. At this point they literally had a mountain of IPs that they are sitting on by doing absolutely nothing with any of those just like the five other idiotic companies (Sony, Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, and Sega) that had such a mountain of stuffs and does nothing with those either.
However, there are more "XBOX" games on Switch then there are Bethesda games.
Well yeah, but can we at least have Fallout 3/4/New Vegas on Switch?
No loss, imo. I'm not the biggest Bethesda fan.
@PALversusNTSC because it directly affects the games coming to a Nintendo console?
The problem with xbox games is that they also arrive on pc.
Nintendo games will never go on pc or any other platform.
MS should do the same. Let it arrive FIRST on your main console, for at least couple of months.
Slightly unrelated but wouldn't it be lovely if Nintendo made some similar acquisitions. Even if just at Indie level. Yacht Club, Playtonic, Shin'en and Image & Form spring to mind- I'd trust all those 4 with any of Nintendo's IP's.
I think it’s important to remember that Todd Howard in an interview was very annoyed that they weren’t continually getting paid by people playing Skyrim all these years later.
I’m not certain new stuff from Bethesda will be worth looking forward to
Yeah once MS bought them and enough time passed for them to ensure games in development at the time still releasing as previously announced and in line with contracts (legal obligationsand avoiding Shemue 3 style backlash). This was always going happen.
Had the announcement people got use to idea now drip feed them what was always the plan.
MS certainly is not throwing that much money about to have big Bethesda game 2022 appear on PS5.
Switch won't get them due to specs in most cases though MS probably don't see it as direct competition.
@BanjoPickles we can always hope for a 7th gen fallout or fallout 4
@Guitario loosing the right to ownership is wrong imo
I love it how people are angry about console exclusives, this has been happening since the dawn of consoles. You don't expect a Mario game on Playstation.
Also love the "Bethseda have joins Xbox" not we bought them because they were failing
@Roibeard64 i agree with you but switch is 100% competition because nintendo competes for my game time and they get it all since i don't have a no sex box or ps5 at the moment.
@Ghost_of_Hasashi they wouldn't sell.
They likely wouldn't be as good as the 64 games, and it isn't the 90s anymore.
@JSDude1 only if game pass comes to switch! 🙃
Well even if its not exclusive The Elder Scrolls VI wont run on Switch anyway
@The-Chosen-one I mean… isn’t windows their own flatform already? That wouldn’t make a ton of sense, from a business perspective…
Hey just picked up a Series X and absolutely LOVING it. It's a great console that has a ton of 3rd party games the Switch has at a lower price with better graphical fidelity and a lot of old school options. I knew it had backwards compatibility but I can download the first two original Star Wars Battlefront games for $10 each, Star Wars Republic Commando for $10 and all the original Splinter Cell games. Plus Game Pass has a bunch of awesome Bethesda titles (already held out on DOOM Eternal since switch version was more expensive & the graphics are best on Xbox). Sooo anyway. If you're a long time Switch fan like me, highly recommend picking up the Series X. I downloaded over $500 worth of games to it on Day 2 and still have access to so many more games (only paid $1 for game pass to access these games). Please don't kill me in the comments, I own like 70+ Switch titles & it will always have a place with me but MAN am I really impressed with Xbox. If you can afford it & hold out on a few downgraded ports, Xbox is totally worth it!
If it's anything like the deal went with RARE, it'll be crazy. It doesn't seem like Microsoft keeps many exclusive IP's, not even really having a mascot for their consoles...Blinx, Voodoo Vince, Viva Piñata and more have just gotten lost throughout their console cycles, and then we get announcements of games coming, to where they get cancelled, or if they do come out (Crackdown 3), they become horrible. I do admit though, that X-box definitely needs some exclusives, and hopefully it helps the Series X in the future with Microsoft getting back money that they lost with the XBONE (granted I own the system and like it). However, Sony and Nintendo are still dominating the console wars and with the many IP's they have, it's Microsoft who really needs to step up their game finally.
So... Brink 2? ^^
I dunno.
I kind of liked the output from that basement in Maryland.
We'll see how this all goes.
I would suspect any of the already-announced games to see releases on all platforms, like The Elder Scrolls VI. However, I'm still holding onto the idea that most of the games would be treated like Minecraft Bedrock.
@Entrr_username They are coming to Xbox later anyway.
@Ghost_of_Hasashi At least they released Battletoads last year, and Perfect Dark is anounced.
With all their studios they might revive more IP's.
Several of their studios is making 2-3 games at the same time on different sub teams.
@PALversusNTSC Because Bethesda has games on Switch right now and this could affect future titles.
very funniest, we, fan of Nintendo belivieng that one an big company invest 7.5 bilions and, hey you, no worries we are making the Nintendo Switch version for all the games that will be releasing for Xbox Series...WF.
This means that I will be switching back from Playstation to Xbox.
Nintendo?... They will always have a place by my side.
@nessisonett exactly. Like anything on this generation will run on the switch. That said, I think they will eventually release everything
I swear If they decide to lock DOOM to pc and Xbox right after I get a ps5 I won’t be happy.
@nessisonett as long as future stuff like DOOM stays on nintendo, im ok
@Kilamanjaro Nobody is going to kill you but the reason why i get those third party games that can go on switch because i can take it on the go. i have an xbox also and i love both systems
I hate exclusivity. But let's be honest, this was a smart move by Microsoft. They lack franchises of their own outside of Halo, Forza, and Gears....So go buy them. They bought Rare, Minecraft, and now Bethesda Games. If I was going to buy a PS5 or whatever the new Xbox is called, I would probably go Xbox primarily because of this.
bethesda still owe us a physical copy of doom eternal after the fiasco they pulled by screwing some of the gamers who prefer physical over download.
@Entrr_username Timed Exclusives,which is just another ***** move by Sony. But in time, at least everybody will be able to play these games.
@liverpoolvk you do realise that both Nintendo and MS have both done timed exclusives in the past and are still doing it now. Hell even epic do it on PC. They all do it. Do I like it no. But it makes good business sense.
This is a very good move by MS, just adds more value to gamepass, which is all they care about now, subscriptions! I have all 3 systems so doesn't bother me really where they put the games. Don't think it affects Nintendo as they have their own corner of the market and they don't need Bethesda games to sell the switch. As for Sony, this gives them much stronger competition so will push them to make better games and not get complacent.
But with this, and other buyouts like ea buying codemasters, I do hope at some point regulators step in before we end up with only a few massive companies owning all the ip's.
@AgentGuapo
Yeah that's true, i dont mind, i play almost everything on my gaming laptop lol.
I knew this from the start, Microsoft wouldn't spend all that money to not take advantage of it.
I hate this though. Even if I usually get all 3 consoles...eventually.
My guess is that "some" of the Bethesda titles means the most popular. By that I fully expect the Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom franchises to become Xbox/PC exclusives.
All I care about is not making Arkane's games exclusively for Microsoft. Arkane is one of my favorite developers, I want everyone to enjoy their games.
At least Bethesda games will still go to PC...
Not really effected by this news.
@Trajan If that's the case then they may as well sell away those IPs to company that will give those IPs a chance. It's obvious Microsoft sucks at marketing those games, heck a friend of mine who own an Xbox One didn't even know the new Killer Instinct was on Xbox One until I myself told him about it and he's a die hard KI fan in the old days.
@Ghost_of_Hasashi They should sell them, but MS has enough money to not care.
I didn't know about the KI until recently either.
@ekwcll yeah I feel you, I have a bunch of third party games on the Switch as well. COVID has made my train / bus trips far less frequent & first time I've had a strictly home console in a few years. Absolutely love my Switch, forgot about the rest of the market. Xbox is doing some amazing stuff right now
You don't spend billions on something in order to share it with the world. We may still get the crumbs they deign to throw us.
16 Times the detail...
@Theober555 I know. Honestly, it's not that bad since Sony loves to screw over Xbox and PC users by locking content from multi-plat games to their system while still costing the same
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