In a recent document, Microsoft has said that three upcoming releases from Bethesda will be exclusive titles to Xbox and PC, though it doesn't say exactly which games it's referring to. With Starfield being one of the most anticipated launches in 2023, a lot of eyes and ears are tuned into what the Skyrim developer will be unleashing soon, especially seeing as it's the studio's first new IP in a quarter of a century.
The Bill Gates-founded multinational conglomerate has been making waves in the news recently over the controversy surrounding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with regulators stepping in to potentially block the purchase. In 2020, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda, and the Xbox creator already owns additional studios such as id Software and Dishonored developer Arkane. Given this, the tech giant has a lot of influence when it comes to gaming, and it looks as though it wants some anticipated future releases to be exclusive to its hardware and OS.
That's according to a statement issued to the Federal Trade Commission regarding the Activision Blizzard merger. In the document, Microsoft has said that "three future titles" from Bethesda will be available only on Xbox and PC. Though the names of these releases have been redacted from the statement, it goes on to say that these games are designed to be "played primarily alone or in small groups," so no doubt many reading will have some idea of which ones the company is referring to.
It's already been confirmed that both Starfield and Redfall, the latter of which is being published by Bethesda rather than developed by it, will be exclusive to both the Xbox Series and Windows PCs. The third mystery game can only be guessed at this stage. However, it's already been hinted that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be exclusive to Microsoft, so it's likely that this is the other release in that redacted list. This is only speculation at this stage, but the fact that these future titles will either be single-player or have multiplayer with small groups suggests that the Skyrim follow-up may be withheld from other systems like PlayStation.
With Fallout 5 being confirmed earlier this year, some may be wondering whether Microsoft will want this Bethesda game to be an exclusive title as well. It's too early to say at this stage, but there will undoubtedly be many who don't have a powerful PC or current-gen Xbox console who will not be pleased if the likes of TES6 is only on these systems.
Source: Microsoft Statement to FTC