Phil Spencer: Elder Scrolls 6's Xbox Exclusivity Isn't About "Punishing" Other Platforms

A Microsoft-owned franchise exclusive to Microsoft platforms?

Well, I never!

Life goes on... we have to carry on living..

He just want it to be an exclusive, we all know it. I personally don't care, but stop sugar coating it.

Phil doesn’t need to give a BS PR statement. Microsoft owns Bethesda. That is all that needs to be said. Does Sony have to give a BS PR statement too when they acquired Insomniac? Did Nintendo have to give a BS PR statement when they acquired Monolith?

That’s super slimy to make elder scrolls an exclusive title

@Tasuki Not really. At least in regards to Sony. Sony is drip feeding their games slowly [emphasis on slow] on Pc. Not everyone is gonna want to wait for who knows how many years. People are growing beards still waiting for Bloodborne for PC for one.

@Strictlystyles How so? Microsoft owns Bethesda now so anyone could have seen this coming. Want to know why I haven't owned an Xbox since the 360? It's because the Xbox platform hardly has any games worth playing. This way, Microsoft can move more Xbox units (but we know it's really because they want to get more people to buy Game Pass). Either way, they're fully entitled to do whatever they want with their IP.

As long as it's on PC, I don't give a darn. THAT will be the true "full package." i.e. modding

Xbox has been largely decent for years now, but its always in the back of my mind that they just bought two of the biggest western RPG developers who were gonna put out their games on Xbox regardless. Now less people can enjoy them, apparently.

At least with Sony and Nintendo's recent acquisitions, those devs were making exclusives regularly regardless. That combined with the multiple, notable closed studios in Xbox's past makes me concerned.

These are pointless excuses now to be honest. They bought Bethesda so they have exclusivity. Simple as that. Somehow they can't straight-up just say that to our faces.

Not this again, I already saw this on PureXbox and PushSquare and commented heavily on both sites.

TES6 and all future Bethesda games will be XBOX and PC exclusive. Deal with it and move on

@Tasuki yeah the real winner is PC.

I am happy for Xbox (I am not lying or joking, its FOR REAL). They get some exclusives and fulfill people's wishes (for the most part). Xbox deserves some exclusives and I hope TES6, future Bethesda games, and all other Xbox Game Studios games will be successful in the journey of Xbox

To be fair though, Bethesda announced ES6 way before the announcement that they got bought. So PlayStation fans (and maybe Nintendo fans too) has some right to whine and complain about the exclusivity unless they game on PC as well.

I am crying internally because this conversation is never gonna end.

@Zyph to be fair, I don't think TES6 would even come to a Nintendo platform. But then again, Bethesda doesn't really release a ton of games onto Nintendo Switch so tbh I think for most Nintendo fans they won't complain about this for the most part

@anoyonmus I agree.

@Strictlystyles Pretty cringe response. This literally only negatively impacts someone if their only console is PlayStation. It's still going to be on Xbox and they'll eventually make it available on PC, likely through XCloud.

@kkslider5552000 not really, all Xbox exclusives release on PC day 1 and many people play on PC. It will be on Game Pass and Xcloud too. By making it exclusive, they will have more people sway to Xbox as another console or play on PC.

Also Xbox out of the big three is practically the cheapest console. Yes the Switch in some areas is the same price of an Xbox Series S (Switch Lite is cheaper than Series S while Switch OLED is a bit more pricer than Series S) but in other areas, the Series S is more cheaper.

Also not to mention the Xbox One S is cheap and can play a lot of games too. Also Xcloud support will be coming to Xbox One so Xbox One players can play Xbox Series X/S games on Xcloud via cloud

@NinjaGuy69 and some PS fanboys are pretty adamant that they will ONLY play on Playstation

I mean, like...exclusives and second-party developers have literally always been a thing. What's the big deal here?

Let's be real here

It isn't going to REMAIN XBOX exclusive. Just wait a few months

if people are gonna keep complaining about this, just get a Xbox Series S at the very least.

Xbox Series S is a digital only console, smaller than the Series X and less powerful than the Series X BUT the Series S has MANY of the same features as the Series X, it can play the same games as the Series X (and also backwards compatibility titles ofc) but at a lower resolution and frame-rate and also digital only title.

Also its great for Game Pass

@PBandSmelly ????

It is... Xbox console only. PC is the only other one.

@NinjaGuy69 the cringe response was you defending Microsoft. And that says a lot coming from me
Because I’m an Xbox guy and even I know this was sleazy move.
And when I said it affects gamers as a whole that includes Nintendo and Sony gamers. There are a lot of people who don’t have a decent gaming pc and an Xbox and it only lowers the install base of Bethesdas titles.

Microsoft has been rather kind to the Switch with little to no reciprocation from Nintendo. Also, we know this title won’t be able to run on Switch anyway.

They own them now, Thats the only reason, Idk why they haven't just said that yet.

They didn't do it to punish Sony. They did it to gain a competitive leg up by utilizing their vast resources to snap up a popular multiplatform publisher. It is what it is.

@Zyph Yep. I'd respect the messaging more if they were transparent about their intentions instead of engaging in weird double-talk on the issue.

@JaneBear hmm "little reciprocation" eh

Offer Microsoft to join Smash Bros, open to collaborations and also maybe the only platform holder at the time when Microsoft advocated for cross play for Minecraft and Nintendo supported Microsoft (unlike SOMEONE at the time)

Like those?

Obviously TES6 wouldn't run on Switch but it wouldn't even come to another Nintendo platform if the next Nintendo platform is more powerful because you know.

But hey, we got Skyrim on Switch. We can play that at the very least.

Sooo to the people saying Microsoft is slimy for making Elder Scrolls VI exclusive to their platform, I'm just curious: what were yall's thoughts about Bayonetta 2 being exclusive to Wii U once Nintendo stepped in to help pay for it?

Don't care about Elder Scrolls. I played Skyrim when they released it on Switch and it was mediocre, so this doesn't move the needle for me in terms of making me want an Xbox.

Xbox seems to have an issue with this in general, they don't seem particularly intent on making the types of games I want, which are platformers/adventure games that focus on exploration and/or unique gameplay mechanics. They just seem to focus on generic trendy dudebro games and those kinds of games just feel so soulless and uninspired. And it's a shame because they own two IPs I like (Banjo and Conker), but they just sit on them and any time they let them out of the vault they screw it up.

Xbox doesn't seem to want to cultivate the right environment/development culture to draw me in, they can't develop good IPs themselves, they often buy the wrong IPs that I wouldn't be interested in, and anytime they work on an IP I would want they don't seem to know how to handle it. I've always been largely a Nintendo gamer with a little bit of Sony for a few of their IPs and some third parties Nintendo doesn't get, and Xbox doesn't seem to want to do anything to change that. And at this point they might not ever.

@chocolate_supra I am not saying Microsoft shouldn't be making ES6 exclusive to Xbox. I am fine with them having ES6. They deserve some exclusives at the very least. At least I hope this improves their reputation for the exclusives thing. Just letting you know I am not one of those guys.

Also regarding Bayonetta 2 for Wii U, I never owned a Wii U but if Nintendo paid for it and published it then its up to them. Better off on Switch to be honest. And I understand why Nintendo wouldn't make it multi-platform

Also by any chance, could I start with Bayonetta 2 without playing Bayonetta 1 btw.

@Strictlystyles
Perhaps you should be angry with Zenimax instead, they're the ones who sold to Microsoft. Regardless, if there was no contract in place to bring the game to other consoles then it isn't a slimy move. It's not about defending Microsoft.

@chocolate_supra for me it’s not just elder scrolls. Bethesda has a big library and making most if not all future titles exclusive is a big blow to gamers in general.

Bayonetta I can forgive , as it’s just one title that may not have even seen light of day if not for nintendo

This site is fascinated with everything non Nintendo. Guess that is what happens when your big holiday release is a remake of game from the early 2000s.

@shaneoh what does that even mean no contract? If Microsoft hadn’t have bought them out it would have definitely been multi platform. Don’t need a contract to know that was a certainty

Man talk about BS PR answer. Just say it’s just business. No need to dance around this.

Nintendo and Xbox consoles are my mains so selfishly I’m fine with this. You don’t pay $7.5 Billion and then share the investment with your competitors for their benefits. Nintendo exclusives + GamePass is blessed!

@anoyonmus

You can absolutely start Bayo 2 without playing Bayo 1 buuuuut….you’d be missing out on some character origins and the overall basic foundation of the gameplay. Playing Bayo 1 will make it easier to understand the lore, humour and overall insanity of the universe that is Bayonetta!

It wouldn't come to the Switch anyway XD, so no worries here.

@Thatsalie Imo, the big holiday releases for Switch aren't just the Pokemon (which is always there), but also Metroid Dread and Shin Megami Tensei V, two AWESOME exclusives. Not bad at all.
I prefer this much more to what Sony and Micro have, honestly. One only has another driving game (I've never liked them), and the other one, pretty much nothing XD

Yeah, it would have skipped Switch. But it's a bit rich how he calls it their franchise (lol)

It’s about deploying games on the platform you’re a part of. Nothing weird here…

Huge Xbox fan - had everyone of their consoles and love what they have done with bc and game pass. Having digital versions of 360 games I bought 10 years ago still on my account and have access to play on the latest hardware - some optimised for it - is superb - bringing pc ideology to consoles

Not a big fan of exclusivity though - Sony have been the masters of this for years while Xbox lagged - Xbox in buying Bethesda didn’t just catch up but eclipsed the competition - only loser here are gamers though

Xbox needs exclusive titles. So that people want that console to play exclusive games.
Same as nintendo, nintendo would not survive if they brought all their exclusive titles to Sony/MS PC etc.
Same for Sony.
The reason i buy a console is bec. Of the Titles they have on it.
Same for Killerinstinct i am a big fan of that game and would buy an xbox just for that game. Same with Halo or gears of war.
But bec many games are also on pc i just play they on pc.

@Strictlystyles
Exactly what it means. Nintendo and Sony aren't financially involved in the production of the game, nor did they sign a contract to have it brought to their device, therefore Microsoft aren't legally obligated to sell the game on their devices. A blind man and his dog could see that any chance of the game being multiplatform went out the window as soon as Microsoft bought the game.

Exclusive or not just make a good game first. Don't be another Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 76, Balan Wonderworld, Battlefield 2042, Sonic Colors Ultimate, and GTA Trilogy: Disappointing Edition.

All the three consoles have exclusive games to make their respective platforms enticing, nobody seems to complain that Nintendo or Sony are hurting other platforms by having exclusive games, so why should Microsoft get treated any different.

They paid a big price to buy Zenimax, so it stands to reason most games from those studios will now be exclusive to Microsoft, or why else would they do it.

Also you could argue that the games may end up running better when they are being in effect developed for one ecosystem.

Skyrim is one of my all time favourites so I’d definitely consider buying a Series S just to play this.
That’s what Microsoft want. It’s going to help shift consoles.

It makes sense for it to be exclurive if it will help them shift consoles.

It doesn't bother me personally. It also doesn't tempt me to get an XboX at all.

@Xiovanni Because it may not be just a single player game any more? Just a thought.

If Xbox were the most powerful system it would make sense. But it isn’t. so it’s punishment at least against PS.

But I doubt ES6 will ever come. Skyrim is 10 and still selling. So I don’t think we miss anything.

And the best graphics can’t compensate the immobility of Xbox/ps.

#NintendoSwitchRules

I think most primary Switch gamers are happy with this. The truth is it’s not a game that would run well on the Switch. If you’re a PC owner you can sign up for a month or two to Gamepass to play it, or buy it outright.

The only real exclusion is to Playstation, and it’s a common understanding PS gets GOW, Uncharted, and their 1st party titles, Xbox gets Halo and now Bethesda. There’s never been a console that has everthing.

They bought the studio and IP, so good on them! XBOX desperately needed more exclusive titles under their hood anyways.

All i hope for is that MS will insist on more quality control.
Bethesda has been releasing garbage for quite a while now. This is a good opportunity for both to profit off of each other.

I would not really consider elder scrolls to be part of the Microsoft family, not for another 10 years at least, we all grew up with these games on cross platforms.

Anyway let’s forget meaningless PR when they have literally invested considerable amounts of money to ensure the games do not come to PlayStation.

And it'll be review bombed on metacritic like every single time there is an exclusive. You don't buy an publisher this big without changing anything.

I'm not a fan of the Elder Scrolls games so personally I'm not fussed. But yeah they should at least give themselves a few years timed exclusivity on this. what's the point in buying someone like Bethesda if you're not going to make their games unique selling points for your console? We all know it's what Nintendo would do.

I'm more disappointed I'll either have to buy an Xbox or wait ages when the next Arkane game or Doom releases. But again...they'd be fools not to do that.

Who knows maybe the this is the boot up the arse that Bethesda need to deliver a quality title instead of the usual buggy crap they give us.

@TKundNobody,

The X Box series X is more powerful though.

@Tasuki PC is where Microsoft still wins

Well, for now all they have is exclusive smoke. How long is it going to be until the game is released, 2-3 years?
I am team Xbox, but all these studios they are acquiring won't make a difference if they fail to bring big exclusive games to their system.

What was the last good game Bethesda developed? Fallout 4? Hope Starfield will be good, though?

I really like Phil Spencer and I don't think he should have to justify stuff like this. Sony has bought plenty of studios in the past and has bought exclusivity on the FFVII Remake, yet no-one is making them apologise for it.

What next? Shigsy expected to commit seppuku because Mario isn't on PS5?

@johnvboy more powerful than a toaster? sure. But the PS5 outperforms the XBX. Not by much but still.

@TKundNobody,

The power is moot, Sony has exclusives and was leading the way in this respect, Microsoft are simply catching up.

The raw power is more on the series x, however Sony have an advantage with their SSD drive, but too close to call or judge with multi platform releases, the exclusives will show any differences if any.

Welp, I am done with the series now then. Not a fan of this betrayal of loyalty for Playstation fans. Unless I find a way to mod it onto PlayStation 5, I will just quit. Don't care if people are okay with this. I am not happy, and I'll probably be angry about it for a long time. I was heavily looking forward to the series.

@HarvestGoddess,

Don't get angry, just move on, or even better have both consoles.

I’m not a PC gamer anymore and I don’t have any Xbox, but if Elder Scrolls 6 was actually very good when it came out, then I’d consider getting an Xbox. Depends how well it ran on the Series S at the time

Honestly, I'm not surprised by this. In fact, I was expecting it once Microsoft announced that they acquired Bethesda.

Granted, I'm more likely to play Xbox over PlayStation any day, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for PlayStation users over this.

I highly doubt TES VI would have come to a Nintendo platform anyway, whether it be the Switch or a future system, so it's not too much of a loss in that regard.

I just hope it comes to PC, as well; which is probably likely, considering Windows is a Microsoft property with Xbox Game Pass available.

No need to justify anything. That's what was to be expected when they aquired Bethesda.

@chocolate_supra and it's on other consoles now

They will lose money that's forsure

Wish he would make it exclusive to Xbox for a better dedicated experience and reason to actually buy one.

Ah, I remember the time when companies actually made their in house and licensed games for competing platforms. Atari had Atarisoft where they made games both console & computer competitors. Mattel made versions of intellivision games for Atari 2600 under the M Network label and Coleco made Colecovision games for both Atari 2600 & Mattel Intellivision but years later it was admitted they made poor versions of the games so people would say 'Oh, so much better on Colecovision! Let's get that!'.

@shaneoh how many times do I have to say it just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right . That’s exactly why it was a sleazy EA type of move(I.e when EA bought exclusive rights to the NFL).

It isn't about punishing them, it's just about money. As usual.

Suddenly glad my fiancé is an Xbox man - when Elder Scrolls VI eventually comes out, I can still play even if it’s an exclusive! 😝

@HarvestGoddess were you angry when Sony did the same thing? I wouldn’t suggest skipping games out of loyalty.

Crazy how this discussion is ongoing over a year later. Supposedly Zenimax had financial issues before they were bought too so maybe if it helps, some of you could see it as Microsoft saving them? I question why these articles still exist but then you still get people in the comments section who are confused and angry; so I guess the article does serve a purpose.

A bit unfortunate but really I didn't expect to see Elder Scrolls VI on a Nintendo console for a long while before the Microsoft purchase. I was expecting it to be ported a generation later or so assuming Nintendo specs remain behind a bit.

@Strictlystyles
I don't see how making something that belongs to you available through a competitor is a sleazy move. As I said, blame Zenimax for choosing to be sold, they knew full well what it would mean for the game's availability.

@shaneoh I’m not going to blame the seller because the zennimax board is a bunch of old guys with no ties to video gaming. The blame is mostly on Microsoft here. Like I said it’s legal but it’s not a good move for gaming. Maybe a good move for game pass but will hurt gamers as a whole.

Fair enough and Nintendo and Sony do the same with their IP's.

The proof is in the playing The game might not be any good.

Not the biggest fan of ES series nor any Bethesda games but Xbox does need to grow its library of exclusives if it wants to compete with PlayStation and Nintendo. At the end of the day, it's exclusives that sells the consoles. PS wouldn't be without God of War, HZD, Uncharted, etc. and Nintendo wouldn't be without Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, etc. Xbox, while they have some notable IPs, they really aren't doing as great as their competitors. This year may be the year for Xbox, and not just because it's their 20th anniversary, but because of their recent titles like Horza and Halo. This might be the year Xbox will compete for the GoTY as it has usually been Sony and Nintendo for the past years. Having Bethesda under their ecosystem can help expand their exclusive library further.

So Shelfman does this mean it’s not gonna be full of bugs with blander combat than an obscure 90s fps with melee combat?

@Arawn93 Exactly. Tbh it's kind of bizarre that it even needs explaining/justifying. If you spend $7.5 billion on a studio, of course the games are going to exclusive.

It's not like Elder Scrolls VI was going to be released for the Switch any way.

1. They (now) own the IP. It's funny seeing everyone grumble. Who's whining about the current Spiderman game franchise being Sony exclusive, because they kicked Insomniac a ton of money and then went and acquired the studio? Because Spiderman games have traditionally been multiplatform. Nintendo has exclusives that they don't even own, but they picked up publishing duties. Bayonetta 2 and 3? Does it make them sleazy just because they footed the bills?

2. Being that this is a Nintendo website... This was NEVER going to be on Switch. Sony players of course are feeling left out, but it may be worth pointing out PlayStation was always an afterthought for Bethesda. They started as a PC developer, and transitioned easily to working with the Xbox. Similar to Bioware, with Morrowind and KOTOR being two of the most notable feathers in the original Xbox's cap. Oblivion on PS3 was buggy but not terribly so, though that version has been forgotten while its counterparts are optimized on newer hardware. Fallout 3 and Skyrim were epically broken on PS3. Skyrim SE, while technically fine, put an insulting cap on the much touted mod support, 1/5th that of its Xbox One sibling. Mind you, a number of these issues arent strictly on Bethesda - Sony's architecture and policies are often at play.

Yea, if you are a primarily PlayStation player, this feels like a loss. I'm just saying, in a broader sense, that it has always been a troubled platform for this developer. Microsoft basically did what Sony did with Insomniac, and picked up a studio they have enjoyed a close relationship with for decades. So, if you don't see any injustice in the Insomniac Spiderman games not having a presence on Switch or Xbox, there's really no grounds to complain about this.

Just wait until Microsoft buy someone like Take 2, then the moaning will really start.

No
Owell don't need to bye elder scroll anymore I won't buy an xbox for it and I am not intrested in games pass

@NinjaGuy69 even with them owning Bethesda, I don't want an Xbox. Bethesda games aren't what they used to be, quality has gone down hill.

Also you can just stream their games to a phone for $15 and avoid paying $500+ for just Skyrim

@Arawn93 the difference is Phil has spoken out against exclusive games for years before when games giving timed exclusives and bonuses to Sony. So for him to say exclusives are bad then make games exclusive he is giving a PR statement to not seem like a total jerk

@TimGibsonPBS

Gamepass is a GREAT reason to own an Xbox. I do 95% of my third party gaming on my Xbox Series X because of it. I love the PS5 and my Switch, but I’ve bought way less games on those systems since getting my Xbox a few months ago.

@Phostachio it’s honestly hilarious watching the big 3 take turns being the best value proposition. Xbox, after being raked over the coals for DRM and no used game sales being their pitch for last gen, are now the only ones meaningfully embracing backwards compatibility and offering far and away the best subscription package.

@Rainz oh ok. Thx

Sad day. I hate gaming on Xbox and PC so I guess I'll be missing this one.

I like consoles being distinct from one another. That’s part of the fun of choosing one.

The game won't be out until the Switch successor arrives anyway, so we'll see about all that. :v

@Arawn93 I'll agree it isn't everyone but this is exactly what I did. PC ends up being the best of all worlds, and the worst thing is just waiting for future PlayStation releases on PC, but during that wait we still get loads of games so it isn't a huge deal. Now if only Nintendo would release BOTW on PC....lol I know this will never happen but I can dream.

Exclusives happen people so live with it...LoL. I think it was a bold move for M$ to drop the dough and pick up major devs/Publishers like Bethseda and BioWare. Xbox will clearly be the home of top Western RPGs. As to those whining, Bethseda has nothing to say about what platforms they will release for now that they have been acquired and M$ owes $ony or Nintendo gamers nothing, they just spent 7.5B to acquire these major IPs why would they waste their money/efforts by allowing these games to be multiplatform?

@TSR3

My guess it will run fine on Series S......I think with proper optimization Series S runs pretty much everything about as well as X but at 1080p/1440p. Two solid examples are MS Flight Sim. Which takes a seriously well equipped PC to play properly and runs wonderfully on S and then the just released Forza 5 looks stellar and runs smooth as butter on S. With Bethseda games being elusive now the games should be well optimized for both models. I just bought an S a few weeks back and have to say I am really impressed by everything from the form factor to the performance. My only gripe is the 512GB SSD fills up fast. Hopefully those expansion SSD cards will come down in price next year (they will).

@TimGibsonPBS

Really what M$ is doing is pretty brilliant. The generations are starting to melt together and since going x86 there really isn't as big a gap between generations as there used to be. There is so much great content from the last generation and not everyone has gotten to it all. I liked that they pushed the X/S optimization tools out to Devs and encouraged them to enhance their old games. It's actually greatly improved some last gen titles making them worth revisiting. One example is Ark Survival. That game ran like total poo on pretty much everything but a high spec PC. It runs wonderfully on S/X even giving a smooth 60fps @1080p on S. Series S with GPU is the best deal in gaming. You get everything you could want to keep yourself busy playing current gen, last gen, lots of Indies, and day one releases for $15 a month. I have never been a big subscription service fan but GPU is winning me over. Heck I got in even cheaper loading up on GOLD for $50 a year and then using the $1 offer to upgrade my account to GPU. So I locked in 3yrs of GPU for $4 a month.....yeah that's a heck of a lot of gaming for chump change.

His statement is a random word salad...

Just admit you buy developers and publishers for the exclusives.

Just own it.

Feels a little bit sad when a franchise that has spent so many years as multi-platform goes exclusive. But it is understandable.
As long as they release it for PC I suppose most people will find a way to play it anyway

@TimGibsonPBS

Gamepass literally has launch day games, triple A recent games like Doom Eternal, and a plethora of award winning indies. I see that you’re trolling, I’m just biting for the sake of others who might believe in your sincerity.

Why are this Nintendo news? Elder Scrolls 6 could never run on Switch anyway.

@Pod Nintendo already refused to get Game Pass on Switch.

BTW: You should look up the word "exclusive" in a dictionary to see what it actually means.

This is obvious, i would imagine going forward that would also include all future iterations of DOOM, Wolfenstein and Fallout too.

So now we hear the REAL truth it was all a FARCE by phil. Oh well it's not Switch loss consider xfail are selling so worthless and only way for them to stay afloat is to make games Exclusive to thier xfail console. The more consoles they can support the better it is for their bottom line or did little phil forget this part of Microsoft is a company to make money not loose money.

Idk why he has to give this statement. Well, I do. It's because Sony fans just won't accept it. They refuse to. They think they're entitled to every single game ever. They say nothing when PS pays bribes to keep Deathloop off other consoles, to keep Tokyo Ghost Wire off other consoles, to keep Final Fantasy VII Remake off other consoles, keep Final Fantasy XVI off other consoles, pay to keep KOTOR remake off other consoles, pay Little Devil Inside devs to not release on the promised Kickstarter platforms of Switch and PC, and instead release on PS5... Nobody has a problem with any of that.

But when MS legitimately purchases a company so that they rightfully own the IP, they accused the devs of "trying to punish them". 🤡 🤡 🤡

I don't even own an Xbox, and I do own a PS5. But the hypocrisy and entitlement from these ppl is staggering. Tbh, I'm glad Microsoft bought Bethesda. At least it ensures all their games will release on PC day and date now and I don't have to worry about Sony paying back door bribes to devalue other platforms and deprive me of playing on PC, since it's a toss up whether they actually agree to their bribed games releasing on Steam day and date.

@Arawn93
No, not everyone will want to wait, but more and more ppl are. There's a LOT of games out there to play. Waiting on an extremely tiny handful to come later is not a big deal. Especially when PC offers all the multiplats, all the Xbox exclusives and more and more PS exclusives. And in the meantime, if someone has the itch for GoW they can play the first on PC. If someone has an itch for Horizon they can play the first on PC.

I was driven away from consoles to PC for other reasons (gyro aiming is a necessity- I refuse to play games involving aiming with archaic, 20 year dated control schemes like it's 2001). But I did buy a PS5. Didn't buy an Xbox. But I never play it because, I'd rather wait for the games to come to PC now where I can enjoy gyro aiming (and hybrid play once Steam Deck arrives). The combination of being a sort of "Xbox + PS all in one" and offering gyro aiming, and offering free online, and offering hybrid play as of Deck, any luster remaining on power console gaming is quickly fading.

That won't be everyone. Of course not. But the trend is growing, that's for sure.

Future Elder Scrolls games are likely going to be more demanding in terms of hardware, so I don't mind if they miss the Switch. I play on PC as well, so I won't be missing out on any future titles.

Why are you even writing about this? Did anyone seriously think this would have been on the Switch? xD

@Ventilator
I don't think I'm talking about what you think I'm talking about.

@Arawn93 The reason he has to keep confirming it is because they have simply taken away from the industry and added nothing. At least Nintendo and Sony took smaller studios that were already mainly first party and helped them develop by funding their projects.

It's not as if Bethesda needed funds to carry on making games, the whole deal was simply to corner a huge chunk of the market and force their vision of where they want the industry to go whether gamers like it or not.

@Old-Red You are making it sound like Bethesdia was forced into the deal or something. Clearly the billions of dollars was a strong persuasion tool that “they can get their own funding” became irrelevant.

It’s very little difference of what Sony/Nintendo did, but they just have a smaller war chest to throw money around for business plays.

You think they honestly care if it was historically multiplat? Look at what Nintendo did with Bayonetta series or what Sony did for Street Fighter series for starters. Multiplats that became console exclusives when they threw their money at it

If Sony/Nintendo had that much of a money surplus like Microsoft they likely would have bought Bethesdia too.

You are also forgetting this is Microsoft. Out of the big three, Microsoft has the strongest relation with PC so any game Bethesdia makes will release on PC whether day 1 or within a year. Not several years/decade if it was Sony or never if it was Nintendo

Sony/Nintendo players will lose out, but that is no different when they made similar plays and the competing companies lose out the same way. At this point it’s discussing semantics.

@Arawn93 I disagree with every point you've made. I think it's best to leave it at that.

@Old-Red Some of this is objectively true especially the last bits, but believe what you will.

@Arawn93 all their games would have released on pc anyway, so again, nothing has changed or been added to the industry in that regard. All MS has done is pay a huge sum to take productions that were already being made away from other platforms.

You use Bayonetta as an example. The sequels would have never happened if Nintendo hadn't stepped in. Insomniac, Sony bankrolled IPs from scratch that were never going to appear anywhere else.

You do make a valid point about Sony and some of their underhand tactics, but then we're talking about two wrongs. Sony are definitely to blame for trying it on with timed exclusively, which in turn forced MS to flex their wallet.

I find it strange when Xbox fans are so happy about the exclusively, when in reality, nothing has changed for them, they were going to receive all these games regardless. It's only the other two platforms that will miss out.

OK, there's the argument that MS might provide them with more funds to make better games, but that is something we will have to wait and see. But as I mentioned before, I don't see Bethesda ever needing any extra funds to do anything different.

You only need to look at Scalebound to see how MS reacts to funding risky new IP when things don't go exactly to their liking.

To be honest, I think all this discourse is a bit pointless, as I could see both Sony and MS trading their exclusive content eventually. Nintendo, not so much.

@Pod You didn't know that Bethesda isn't third party anymore since you thought it's possible with TES 6 on a Nintendo console.

@Ventilator
I knew that Bethesda isn't third party.
And I didn't think TES6 on Nintendo was going to be a thing.

You may have understood it as though I implied that.
Which is understandable.

@Pod Okay then. Microsoft games sells great on Switch, so there could be other games they will release on Switch.

Switch got Microsoft games as recent as this year as Switch isn't a competitor to anything.
Xbox HQ and Nintendo HQ in Redmond is only as 10 minute walk between, and could be why MS are close to Nintendo.

@GrailUK It is, they own the IP's If u buy a house It is ur house the not the "builder's house"

@MaikonCSGarcia It was a bad joke. 'rich' as in they had 8 billion dollars!

@Ventilator
I was originaly just brushing off the whole "complete package" thing, as if Series X is the only place they'd be able to deliver that. The game won't be out until all competing systems are at least as strong anyway. ^^

But you're absolutely right, Microsoft and Nintendo have never seemed to really been on bad terms with each other. Even during the time when both Gamecube and Xbox were being trounced by the PS2, the GBA received quite a few games published by Microsoft.

Tis normal for the industry.

@Pod Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo during GameCube days, but ended up with Rare.
Nintendo is the reason why MS never released a handheld. Like they said like 10 years ago. Nintendo dominated handhelds for 30 years, and almost no one were ever able to compete with them.
Anyways. Microsoft have released only Minecraft on PS4 i think, while they released like 10-15 games on Switch.
MS Games sells quite well on Switch too. Most of them were on top 10.
Switch is basically Microsoft's handheld. lol

@Ventilator
They seem with comfortable with that constellation, true.
They know the audience who want an Xbox don't consider the Switch a serious competitor as a home console. ^^

@Pod Switch isn't a competitor to anything.
Upcoming Steam Deck won't be a competitor to Switch either.
Way different market. Steam Deck is aimed at hardcore PC gamers who already have up to 1000's of games on Steam.
In fact Valve themselves said they were lucky if it sold only a few millions, or 10 millions at best.

When that's said. Switch is popular among PC gamers.
PC + Switch is a combo for lots of people. You can see them everywhere on Steam forums.

There is also a lot of PC people using Steam forums who ask about Switch versions of games, also to the developers.

@Ventilator
Switch really managed to be relevant to many different demagraphics for many different reasons. It's nice enough that way.

@Pod Yeah. No other system have anything as good kart racer like Mario Kart, No Smash Bros, Zelda, Metroid, Bayonetta etc.