Since Bethesda Studios was purchased by Microsoft last year, fans have wondered what the acquisition would mean for beloved franchises such as The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Microsoft will answer some of those questions in a video presentation scheduled later this week.
Officials in the U.S. and Europe recently approved Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, making Bethesda an official Xbox studio. When the acquisition went public last September, PlayStation players began to worry if it would result in future Bethesda games becoming Xbox exclusives. Meanwhile, Xbox players seemed to be happy about the acquisition, and many have come to expect that Bethesda’s catalog will soon be available on Xbox Game Pass. Others have expressed excitement about what potential games Bethesda could release now that it has Microsoft’s vast resources at its disposal.
Microsoft will likely address some of these topics in a video presentation on March 11, according to a report from Venture Beat. Much of the presentation will likely be dedicated to what the Bethesda acquisition means for Xbox Game Pass Subscribers. Specifically, the company is likely to reveal which Bethesda titles are coming to the service and when they will arrive. It is also likely that Microsoft will announce that future Bethesda games will arrive on Game Pass at launch, according to sources familiar with the plans.
It remains unclear if Microsoft will discuss platform exclusivity for future Bethesda games. PlayStation fans hope that upcoming titles such as the Elder Scrolls 6 and Indiana Jones launch on the PS5, but some analysts are doubtful that this will be the case. But even if Bethesda’s games don’t launch on PS5, they could still arrive on PlayStation at a later date.
Fans should not expect to hear more information about Starfield, Bethesda’s new sci-fi IP that is expected to release in the second half of 2021. Bethesda is likely to reveal more details about the game this summer during its E3 showcase. That means that fans likely won’t get new information about The Elder Scrolls 6 and Indiana Jones either, as the studio is probably planning to save those for its showcase.
It is worth noting that Xbox and Bethesda are not planning to combine their E3 showcases. Xbox has its own showcase planned, which will probably be headlined by Halo Infinite. An Xbox director recently hinted that there are still major unannounced games that will drop in 2021, so it seems likely that these mysterious titles will be revealed at Xbox’s E3 showcase.
Microsoft will likely confirm the presentation in the next day or two.
Source: VentureBeat