Microsoft made a surprising announcement after the company confirmed that it is inthe process of acquiring ZenixMax Media, which is the parent company of Bethesda. Of course, Bethesda is known for various popular video game franchises and is set to releaseThe Elder Scrolls 6sometime in the future, which is why Microsoft’s purchase of it shocked the video game community.
At the moment, the exact details of the acquisition are still being kept under wraps. However, one of the biggest questions that players are probably thinking right now is, what do all these mean? Well, to start, Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda could mean that its future games will now be exclusive to Xbox Series X, includingThe Elder Scrolls 6,which may just upset a lot of people.
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Will Elder Scrolls 6 Be An Xbox Series X Exclusive?
As previously mentioned, Microsoft still hasn’t finalized the exact terms of its acquisition of Bethesda. Accrording to several news outlets, Xbox’s Phil Spencer revealed thatMicrosoft will honor PS5 exclusivity deals forGhostwire: TokyoandDeathloop. However, when it comes to future releases such asThe Elder Scrolls 6, it will be decided “on a case by case basis.” So, while that may be reassuring to some, it still doesn’t guarantee thatThe Elder Scrolls 6will release for the PS5. However, should Microsoft decide to make the game exclusive to the Xbox Series X, thenTheElder Scrolls 6, will be the firstElder Scrollsgame sinceOblivionthat will not launch on PlayStation consoles, which could be problematic for Microsoft given the vast number of players on PlayStation consoles that are also fans ofThe Elder Scrollsfranchise.
But how likely is Microsoft to convert a popular cross-platform franchise exclusive to the Xbox Series X? At the moment, it is difficult to make a prediction given that Microsoft’s specific stance on future Bethesda Games remain vague. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if the company decides to makeThe Elder Scrolls 6exclusive to the Xbox Series X, given that the company may want to take advantage of the Bethesda acquisition to increase the sales of its next-gen consoles. Moreover,the battle between PlayStation and Xboxhas always come down to exclusive games, and the Bethesda acquisition may just be the answer for Microsoft to rival Sony’s strong lineup of exclusive games.
In the perspective of theElder Scrollsfranchise, this course of action could effectively narrow down the playerbase ofThe Elder Scrolls 6,given that playerswho are set to purchase the PS5may not want to switch to the Xbox Series X even with the Bethesda acquisition. As it stands, Microsoft has a vital decision to make that could either push for more sales of the Xbox Series X, should it succeed in converting PS5 players withThe Elder Scrollsfranchise, or limit the potential playerbase ofThe Elder Scrolls 6if the company fails to do so.
Will Elder Scrolls 6 Release on Xbox Game Pass at Launch?
Another outcome that could come out of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda is the possibility of releasingThe Elder Scrolls 6onthe Xbox Game Passat launch. To the uninitiated, Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that allows players access to a library of games for a monthly fee. Given thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is now technically a first-party Microsoft game, this scenario is likely to happen. This means that players on the Xbox Series X won’t have to purchaseThe Elder Scrolls 6as long as they have an active subscription the Xbox Game Pass.
In the end, the news of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda is definitely a welcome news for those who are planning to the purchase the Xbox Series X when it releases late this year. Of course, this doesn’t have an effect for players on the PC given that Microsoft is guaranteed to still release the game on that platform. However, the same couldn’t be said for those planning to get the PS5, given that there is now a possibility that the game would not release on Sony’s next-gen console. Hopefully, Microsoft will soon bring a clearer answer to this, but a response from the company, specifically with regards toThe Elder Scrolls 6, may not come anytime soon, given thatthe game itself is still years away from release.
