Back in September, Microsoft announced that it would be buying ZeniMax Media and all of its encompassing studios, which included Bethesda, id Software, Arkane, and many more. It's taken quite a while, but the acquisition has finally been approved, with the EU allowing the transaction yesterday. Today, Microsoft shared the news of the buyout being fully completed, and some of their plans for the future. They claim that they'll be letting Bethesda continue to make games as they have been for years, with Microsoft helping them reach more players than ever before. Another major detail is that they plan to have some future games release exclusively for Microsoft platforms--PC and Xbox. As it stands for now, Bethesda's upcoming games GhostWire Tokyo and Deathloop are going to be timed exclusives for the PlayStation 5, as the agreements were made prior to Microsoft buying the company. In the future, though, you might need a gaming PC or Xbox to play some Bethesda games.

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.

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[MetoMeto]

Whenever i hear the word 'exclusive' in same sentence as 'video games' i feel like puking.

 

[tech3475]

Yea we can't really know until they state it outright. I do, however think that they are capable of transitioning a game from being originally multiplatform to one solely in the Microsoft ecosystem as evidenced from previous acquisitions. I don't think Microsoft really cares if something big like Elder Scrolls becomes exclusive.... Just got to accept it assuming its their strategy.

One other thing to consider is XCloud, yes it is streaming but I wouldn't be surprised if MS try to promote it as a substitute for a native PS5 port.

 

[Wolfy]

I 100% doubt this will be anything like shoving RARE under a rug. Guess we'll see, though.

I mean hey, can always keep your fingers crossed that they'll bring RARE Replay to PC!

 

[Rahkeesh]

I just don't get the logic of new IPs elsewhere and old IPs stay to Microsoft, that doesn't strengthen either brand. After years of Elder Scrolls being multiplatform, few are going to immediately recognize it suddenly as a Microsoft only property and will anger a sizable amount of the install base of the series, and meanwhile a brand new property that could be your own Legend of Zelda or God of War, you're going to let go multiplatform and not become directly tied to the Microsoft brand?

Ori is not the next Zelda or God of War and never will be. Even Sony put H:ZD and soon Days Gone on PC. That's what I mean by "smaller IP". They put the game out exclusive at first, and if it doesn't make a huge splash, they will consider other platforms, simply because it's proven not really big enough to sell their platform going forward. If they decided to release Starfield exclusive and it hit big time then yeah, they would probably leave Sony in the dust, but there's a ton of Bethesda studios and most of their output probably won't be so huge.

Keep in mind so far that "smaller IP" seems to mean Switch or mobile. I don't see them keen on supporting Playstation if there aren't pre-existing contracts stipulating that they do so.

 

[M7L7NK7]

Well, if it's anything like their acquisition of Rare, all their IPs are going to suck from here on out.

All the main developers had already left Rare by then so they were basically just buying the IPs

 

[ZeroT21]

As a business all that matters is the bottomline, making money as much as possible

 

[Bladexdsl]

CTDesda about to get a WHOLE lot worse now

 

[Lumince]

Annnnd that is how you get people to pirate TF out of your games. Wont be supporting their games anymore

 

[CMDreamer]

Nooo! Now I won' t be able to play remakes anymore on a console I don't even own and on a PC I don't use for gaming!!!

OK, let's see what else is there on the vastly ocean of possibilites.

 

[BLsquared]

I already play these games on PC. Sure, it's a GTX960 that is long overdue to be replaced, but still. I hope Starfield actually becomes a thing, it's seemed like vaporware for as long as I can remember. Anyways, this whole exclusive thing probably isn't going to be a big deal. Plus, I feel like the PS has a different audience than the games they'd be missing anyways. I always thought that the Bethesda games better fit the Xbox, imo.

 

[Viri]

Don't care, I own a PC.

 

[xdarkx]

All the main developers had already left Rare by then so they were basically just buying the IPs

^This.

Guessing most people commenting about Rare/Microsoft don't know this, and assume Bethesda is now worse off because of Microsoft acquisition.

 

[Deleted User]

^This.

Guessing most people commenting about Rare/Microsoft don't know this, and assume Bethesda is now worse off because of Microsoft acquisition.

thinking that only now bethesda is going to become bad, as if fallout 76, those 2 elder scrolls mobile games and fallout 4 don't exist somehow

 

[xdarkx]

thinking that only now bethesda is going to become bad, as if fallout 76, those 2 elder scrolls mobile games and fallout 4 don't exist somehow

That's possible. But who's to say, since we have yet to see any new Bethesda games while they are under Microsoft umbrella.

 

[Deleted User]

Microsoft buys good studios and does nothing with them, so I assure you that they will make as many games as possible after buying out this bad studio.

 

[The Catboy]

Fuck Microsoft, just fuck them.

 

[tabzer]

They claim that they'll be letting Bethesda continue to make games as they have been for years, with Microsoft helping them reach more players than ever before.

How you ask? By making games exclusive and less available!

 

[BlazeMasterBM]

Well I never really cared about bethesda but yayyy now we get halo fallout

 

[Darth Meteos]

sony fans: haha xbox cucks, you have no exclusives!
xbox: here's some games not coming to ps5
sony fans: Exclusives are an archaic practice that will ultimately cripple the gaming industry. In this essay I will

 

[Deleted User]

... I'd be disappointed in the lack of creativity if this purchase doesn't result in a Fallout Livery Pack for appropriate Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 planes and a chance to fly around and do on-brand Missions in their apocalyptic version of the United States.