Today is the day. From 8 am this morning, gamers all over the UK crashed the internet securing their Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S from online retailers such as Microsoft, Game and Amazon. At the time of writing, Microsoft is still taking preorders and is linking to Games Xbox All Access que perfectly.
Bethesda and Xbox, Together at Last
Oh, and Xbox Game Studios acquired Zenimax Media for a mind-blowing $7.5 billion. For those who don’t know, Zenimax is an umbrella company that owns some big names in gaming such as Arcane Studios, iD Software and Bethesda. To say this is huge news is an understatement.
Xbox has been cosying up to Bethesda for nearly two decades, starting with the first Elder Scrolls console port in 2002 with Morrowind. This later blossomed into full mod support for Skyrim: Special Edition and Fallout 4 on Xbox One.
Some Pointers
Here’s some key points to take away from the acquisition, direct from XBOX:
- Bethesda brings an impressive portfolio of games, technology, talent, as well as a track record of blockbuster commercial success, to Xbox.
- Games are the primary growth engine in gaming and games are fueling new cloud-gaming services like Xbox Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 15 million subscribers.
- With the addition of Bethesda, Microsoft will grow from 15 to 23 creative studio teams and will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass. This includes Microsoft’s intent to bring Bethesda’s future games into Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC.
- With unique investments in content, community, and the cloud, Microsoft’s gaming strategy differs from others by empowering people to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want.
Bethesda Fever
Bloomberg has confirmation from Phil Spencer that planned titles will release as normal, including PS5 timed-exclusives Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Future releases will be dealt with on a ‘case by case’ basis.
Whilst gamers have expressed their concerns about multi-platform releases, let’s not forget the flexibility XBOX have shown with Mojang and Minecraft. Minecraft and its spin-off titles have received multiple ports since the landmark acquisition. We also can’t forget the release of Xbox Game Studios Ori titles on Nintendo Switch.
Safe Bets
It’s safe to say that timed-exclusivity/exclusive perks are going to be on XBOX first, alongside day one access via Game Pass Ultimate. XBOX didn’t just spend $7.5 billion to gives games away on a subscription pass, it makes zero sense to keep Bethesda titles XBOX exclusive.
Time will tell over the next couple of years as we see big titles such as Starfield release. Being honest? XBOX is giving access to Bethesda titles on release day for £14.99 per month alongside EA and 100s of other titles, they don’t need to box people in.
Also, Obsidian and Bethesda are now owned by the same company. If XBOX is reading this, you can start development on Fallout: New Vegas 2 now. Thank you!
