There are plenty of opinions on how Xbox should handle its recent massive acquisition. After the shocking announcement that Microsoft purchased ZeniMax, including Bethesda Studios, many have speculated as to what will come next. One opinion that may hold a little bit more weight than others is the founder of Bethesda, who recently chimed it.
Christopher Weaver is the founder of Bethesda Softworks and co-founder of ZeniMax Media. Although he no longer works in the gaming industry, he certainly had a large impact on games as a whole during his time. In a recent interview with Inverse, Weaver talked about the relationship between Microsoft and Bethesda, and the idea that the Bethesda games could be exclusive to Xbox moving forward.
Weaver commented on the $7.5 billion acquisition, noting that Microsoft is assuredly going to want to maximize the profits. It is possible Microsoft shares its games with all, in an attempt to make as much on each game as possible. For now, Microsoft is honoring the Bethesda exclusivity deals with PS5 that were agreed upon before Xbox purchased the massive developer. This means that a game like Deathloop still be sold exclusively on the PS5 for a time, before eventually coming to the Xbox and Game Pass. It will be interesting to see games as timed exclusives on the PS5 that are published by Xbox. This could also be a testing period for Xbox, as it monitors how successful the games are and if it makes sense to have games like the upcoming Starfield be available on platforms outside of the Xbox.
In the end, exclusivity is a big selling point. Weaver thinks that the purchase and timing of the announcement, so close to the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, is not to be mistaken as a mere coincidence. If Xbox can have one of the massive AAA game providers all to itself, and Sony cannot, that is something worth bragging about.
I do not think it is any accident that this announcement occurred so close to Sony’s PS5 announcement. There are only a limited number of proven creators of AAA. What Microsoft owns, Sony cannot get.
During his time with Bethesda, Weaver recalls the company having an "excellent" relationship with Microsoft/Xbox, as even Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was a console exclusive for the original Xbox. Even though many of the games have been multiplatform, some aspects of the Elder Scrolls games, specifically, feel more attached to Xbox historically, like the Morrowind exclusivity or even Skyrim having many issues on the PS3 and playing well on the 360. Now the home of the franchise, and of all of Bethesda Studios titles, is on the Xbox.
Source: Inverse