Phil Spencer confirms future Bethesda games will be exclusive to Xbox/PC

Ever since the industry-shaking news of Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda Softworks was announced, one question has persisted. Will future Bethesda games continue to be multi-platform? After all, generally, after an acquisition future games from the acquired studio become exclusive to the platform that acquired them. This is, however, a rather unprecedented acquisition in the gaming industry. At $7.5 billion, it’s far and away the biggest acquisition in gaming history. 

Today, Bethesda and Xbox hosted a roundtable discussing the acquisition. Props to Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, who put the rumours to rest almost right off the bat: "If you're an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is that this is about delivering great exclusive games to you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists."

There we have it. Future Bethesda games i.e. Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6 etc. Will be exclusive to Game Pass platforms (Xbox and PC). Phil Spencer also noted that Microsoft will honour all existing contractual obligations. Legacy Bethesda games like The Elder Scrolls online will also continue to receive content updates on PlayStation systems. 

It’s a bold power move, that’s for sure. The PlayStation range consoles have routinely outsold Xbox consoles but this seems like the sort of move that might even things out. If you’re on Xbox and/or PC, it’s good news. If you’re on PlayStation, it might be time to start considering an Xbox or gaming PC if you wish to enjoy future Bethesda titles.