[ad_1]
It’s the gaming news of the year: As announced today, Microsoft bought Bethesda for a whopping $ 7.5 billion. Popular game series like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout or Doom now belong to Microsoft. The question you will surely ask is “What does the purchase mean to me as a player?”
Here we want to put some order out of the chaos and take care of the exclusives, the Xbox Game Pass, etc. We refer to statements that have already been made, but we also consider what the future might look like.
Do all Bethesda games go directly to Xbox Game Pass?
Let’s start with the greatest curiosity. Yes, future Bethesda games, especially blockbusters like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield, will be included in Xbox Game Pass, according to Microsoft. And as is currently the case with Microsoft’s own exclusives, already at launch.
That means, depending on the respective offer, you can play TES 6 and many other games at launch for one euro or normally for ten euros. An idea or a business model for this type of brand that you have to get used to first, but that should go very quickly due to the good treatment.
What about the PS5 exclusive games Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo?
Both Bethesda games will initially appear exclusively for the PS5 and that will not change from now on. The deals were closed long before the purchase was made, and the past teaches us that they will continue to exist.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer also said in an interview with Bloomberg on the matter, promising that Sony’s commitment to both games would be accepted or recognized.
More recently, games like inXile’s Wasteland 3 and Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds continued to appear as cross-platform titles after the acquisition of both studios. Only future releases from both developers will arrive, in any case, exclusively on Xbox Series S / X or PC.
No, probably not.
If we look at the recent past of previous multi-platform titles in combination with Microsoft’s exclusive offerings, for example, Rise of the Tomb Raider, we are currently assuming more of a time exclusivity. It should be noted here that Lara Croft’s second venture was a deal with publisher Square Enix and not a purchase from the publisher or studio, but this experiment could serve as a profitable template for the future. Why:
Microsoft makes money on PS5 releases
Microsoft could make extra money from blockbusters like Fallout 5 or TES 6 by releasing games on PS5 or Nintendo Switch. After all, the more platforms a game appears, the more revenue it means for a publisher. And no matter how tempting it may be for many gamers to buy an Xbox, a not inconsiderable part of the gaming community will choose competing products. Microsoft could still reach these players through a multiplatform publication of Bethesda franchises and thus secure additional revenue.
Because whatever you have to consider, this whopping $ 7.5 billion doesn’t come back when blockbusters like Fallout 5 are forever tied to just one system (or two, if we include the PC). Microsoft could get much more benefit here from a temporary exclusivity than from a permanent exclusivity.
Microsoft’s strategy is also designed to integrate gamers into its ecosystem, which is what happens with Xbox Game Pass, among other things. However, the path to its own ranks could also be successful selling, for example, The Elder Scrolls 6 for the PS5. We explain how in the next point.
Exclusivity is not the same as exclusivity
When we talk about exclusivity, we often think of a game that will be released on a single console, like Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch. However, this is a bit shortsighted, because exclusivity can also take other forms that go beyond pure (main) gameplay.
This could mean, for example, that there are pre-order bonuses, DLC, or even Xbox-specific story expansions for big Bethesda titles that never (or only much later) make it to the competition. For example, if you purchased The Elder Scrolls 6 for the PS5 and want to play a possible add-on, this may only be possible on Xbox Series S / X. As a PS5 owner, you now have the option of forgoing additional content or switch to Xbox to fully enjoy your favorite franchise.
Spin-offs as possible Xbox exclusives?
It could even go so far that Microsoft only makes parts of a big franchise like Fallout or Elder Scrolls exclusive, for example spin-offs.
In theory, it could look like a Fallout: New Vegas 2 (fictional example, but more on that below!) It will only appear for Xbox Series X / S, while the main series continues with Fallout 5 cross-platform. On the one hand, Microsoft and Bethesda could reach more players on other platforms, but at the same time attract fans of the respective brands to the Xbox ecosystem if they want to have the full Fallout experience.
Important: The emphasis on “could” is particularly important at this point. None of this has been confirmed, but we consider possible derivatives as Xbox exclusives to be a game of thought not unlikely.
Will Prey and Dishonored continue?
Both the sci-fi shooter Prey and Arkane Studios’ Dishonored 2 were anything but commercially successful games for developers, and despite positive ratings from many players, they ran well under the radar. According to Techspot, the stealth action adventure successor Dishonored sold just 2.5 million times across all platforms, while the PC predecessor sold more than 3 million units.
A successor would be high risk, perhaps too high just for Bethesda. With Microsoft, however, the newly acquired publisher has a huge supporter behind it, giving more space and resources for experiments whose financial success doesn’t seem as fixed as the publication of a new Elder Scroll.
This is also supported by the fact that both brands can be seen prominently in the acquisition announcement image. While this is purely speculative, at Bethesda we could see games in the coming years that probably wouldn’t launch without the purchase.
More about the subject
Microsoft is buying Bethesda: Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom and more now on Xbox
Obsidian and Bethesda reunited
Finally, a little thought for Fallout: New Vegas fans. With the acquisition, developers Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda are reunited under one roof. Who would we be if we didn’t briefly put a new Obsidian Fallout into play? The signs are better than ever and for the RPG franchise, which has been streaked thanks to Fallout 76, such an announcement would be a balm for the battered soul of the wasteland.
But that’s a long way off. The next few days and weeks in particular will bring even more clarity to the Bethesda acquisition. Of course we will always keep you updated on GamePro.de so you know what will happen to your favorite ranks in the future.
You still have open questions about the acquisition, ask them in the comments and how to try to answer them.
