Microsoft made a surprising announcement after the company confirmed that it is in the 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 release The Elder Scrolls 6 sometime 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, including The Elder Scrolls 6, which may just upset a lot of people.
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 that Microsoft will honor PS5 exclusivity deals for Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop. However, when it comes to future releases such as The 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 that The Elder Scrolls 6 will release for the PS5. However, should Microsoft decide to make the game exclusive to the Xbox Series X, then The Elder Scrolls 6, will be the first Elder Scrolls game since Oblivion that 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 of The Elder Scrolls franchise.
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 make The Elder Scrolls 6 exclusive 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 Xbox has 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 the Elder Scrolls franchise, this course of action could effectively narrow down the playerbase of The Elder Scrolls 6, given that players who are set to purchase the PS5 may 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 with The Elder Scrolls franchise, or limit the potential playerbase of The Elder Scrolls 6 if 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 releasing The Elder Scrolls 6 on the Xbox Game Pass at 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 that The Elder Scrolls 6 is 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 purchase The Elder Scrolls 6 as 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 to The Elder Scrolls 6, may not come anytime soon, given that the game itself is still years away from release.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.
