What Microsoft’s Bethesda Purchase Really Means

Just hours before worldwide pre-orders opened for its next generation of consoles, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Microsoft dropped a Fall out-style Megaton – with news that I was acquiring Zenimax Media, the privately owned parent company of Bethesda for $ 7.5 billion dollars. Before the industry could even process that huge amount of money in historical terms, it had to digest the fact that Ancient documents, Fall out, CONDEMN, Wolfenstein, The evil inside, Dishonor, Dam, Earthquake, and other beloved franchises were now part of the Xbox family.

From a pure studio count, the already formidable Xbox game studios – House of Rare, Obsidian, Turn 10, 343 Industries, The coalition, Double fineand many more, would now grow to include Bethesda Game Studios, identification software, ZeniMax Online Studies, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha dogand Roundhouse Studios.

In simple terms, this is a massive stable, and perhaps the strongest in the entire landscape going forward.

“Like us, Bethesda passionately believe in creating a wide range of creative experiences, exploring new game franchises and telling bold stories,” wrote Phil Spencer in his post on the deal. “All of your great work, of course, will continue and grow and we look forward to empowering you with resources and support from Microsoft to scale your creative visions to more players in new ways for you.”

As part of his response, Bethesda’s Pete Hines also stated that games currently in development are still in development. And that Bethesda will publish these titles in the future. The first two that come to mind on that front include From Arkane Deathloop and Tango Ghostwire: Tokyo, both exclusive timed for the Playstation 5. Which is a strange situation, we now live in a world where Microsoft is set to publish exclusives on a competitor’s console.

But by taking a look at companies and their products and platforms, we begin to see the bigger picture. One with immediate short-term benefits and one that presents a long-term strategy and goal that Microsoft is building. One free of the high-end console as the only platform.

Even with the powerful Xbox Series X, which will support cutting-edge hardware that will virtually eliminate load times and introduce new visual techniques like real-time ray tracing, Microsoft is presenting the future of Xbox as a vision that looks both ways.

To support the entire Xbox One library and titles on the Xbox 360 and original Xbox in the X Series, until the introduction Game streaming via the cloud for hundreds of Xbox titles on Android devices. The glue that holds this vision together, including the hardware, is Xbox Game Pass. Where, for a monthly fee, players can download or stream all original Xbox Game Studios titles past and present, and new releases appear on the day and date of the service.

With the arrival of Bethesda into the fold, the already stellar value associated with Xbox Game Pass on PC and console effectively doubles. DOOM Eternal, The Elder Scrolls series as a whole, Dam, Quake III Arena, even something like Commander Keen – Xbox Game Pass will not only introduce new games like Starfield at launch, but the entire Bethesda catalog.

Even if Starfield debuts on PlayStation 5 at full retail price, this gamer-centric approach is commendable and an asset to the Xbox brand. As aggressive as the move to buy Bethesda may seem, it could come down to too good a value proposition to ignore. Fast forward a few years and the traditional route where you buy a single title can seem quaint when you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass and get Starfield and the entire Bethesda catalog to play whenever you want and on the platform that suits you best: console, Desktop PC, gaming laptop, tablet or smartphone. Bethesda, who is it Orion Technology is all about transmission, it shares a similar vision.

With Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo being timed exclusives for PlayStation 5, this represents an immediate obstacle on an otherwise smooth path to a bigger and broader future for Xbox and Bethesda. In terms of scale, a simple signal on the radar. The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 have millions of players on a variety of platforms, and the teams at Zenimax and Bethesda will no doubt continue to support the player base for years to come.

A story that follows the trail of the last years of growth of Xbox Game Studios, where teams must continue to work as they see fit, but with the full backing of Microsoft. Will we see Bethesda games slowly favor the Xbox platform over the competition? Sure, but Microsoft’s commitment to PC and Game Streaming on Android devices represents the antithesis of a closed community.

As an investment, it doesn’t make long-term sense for Microsoft to adopt a console war mentality, to put up a barrier the size of Xbox Series X for those looking to play games. The Elder Scrolls VI. All things being equal, and if anything is possible, Microsoft is likely to consider bringing Xbox Game Pass to both PlayStation 5 and Nintendo switch. the Netflix The model is one that is dependent on subscribers, and with Xbox Game Pass recently topping 15 million, it is on its way to becoming a similar behemoth. With Bethesda as part of Xbox moving forward, it’s hard to see how a competing service could remotely match the great value that is offered to gamers when it comes to Xbox.

And on that note, we’ll leave the final word to Todd Howard, who is currently leading the Bethesda Game Studios team on their most ambitious project to date: the sci-fi RPG Starfield. The studio’s first new IP in generations and the continuation of Skyrim and Fallout 4.

“Like our original partnership, this is more than one system or screen,” writes Todd Howard. “We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower and bring joy. And the belief that we should bring that to everyone, regardless of who he is, where he lives or what he plays. Regardless of screen size, driver, or your ability to use one. “

Starfield may debut on Xbox Series X and PC, and that could even extend to PlayStation 5, but with streaming it will also open the door to a billion devices ready to reach for the stars.