It’s a wonder what $7.5 billion will get you these days. That’s exactly what Microsoft shelled out for ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Essentially, Bethesda is now owned by Microsoft, and with it, franchises like Fallout, DOOM, The Elder Scrolls and more.
Not only does this mean that Bethesda will become a first-party Microsoft studio, but it also means that Bethesda will be developing games exclusively for Xbox services across consoles such as the Xbox Series X and S, along with PC. Future entries in the mentioned series will launch as exclusives on these platforms, as well as being available to play on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service.
Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that Bethesda’s library of games and its back catalogue will be available via Xbox Game Pass. When asked about the PlayStation 5, Spencer stated that Bethesda will honour Sony deals for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, but that future games by Bethesda “will be on Xbox, PC, and other consoles on a case by case basis.”
No doubt this is a huge blow to Sony, which had just announced the PS5 release date last week. Microsoft is now able to add these franchises as part of Game Pass, providing another incentive to sign up for its already beefy subscription service. What the future holds for Bethesda’s franchises on Sony’s console is unclear.
