Microsoft confirms some future Bethesda games will be Xbox, PC exclusive
As the acquisition of ZeniMax Media closes, Microsoft's Phil Spencer offers clarity on multi-platform future of Bethesda games
Microsoft has completed its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks -- and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that some future games from Bethesda will be exclusive to Xbox and PC.
The deal was agreed between the two companies in September last year, but its scale raised the potential for problems with gaining approval from regulatory bodies.
Last week, the European Commission decided not to oppose the deal. With today's confirmation, it is clear that the SEC has also allowed the acquisition to go ahead.
"Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone," said Xbox boss Phil Spencer in a statement.
"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."
Spencer has been asked on several occasions about the potential for Bethesda's games to be exclusive to Xbox and PC. However, this is the first time the fact that some of its future products will not appear on rival consoles has been so plainly spoken.
With ZeniMaX Media now part of Xbox, Microsoft has increased its first-party development resources significantly -- from 15 studios to 23, including leading names like Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, and ZeniMax Online Studios.
Despite a relatively thin release slate for its new consoles, Xbox has already confirmed that the timed PS5 exclusivity deals for Arkane's Deathloop and Tango's Ghostwire: Tokyo will go ahead as planned.