Welcoming the Talented Teams and Beloved Game Franchises of Bethesda to Xbox
Wow, this is massive news, and yes we got the details through early yesterday / late Monday night, but it has taken this long to wrap my head around it and come to terms with if this is good news or bad news.
I'll be honest, at first I was completely against it. How dare Microsoft come in and take ownership of so many IP's that have been my favorites for so long. DOOM and Wolfenstein I have played since the originals. Fallout since Tactics and Elder Scrolls, let's just say I have been warned with divorce if I buy another copy of Skyrim to play...
This isn't some console war response, this was more a fear of change and my over all dislike of the direction the gaming world is headed but let's be honest, Bethesda has been struggling for some time now.
Unfortunately Fallout 76 has hurt them. Their once loyal fans from the days where Bethesda could do no wrong have turned on them and are bagging everything that they do. With some massive IP's in the pipeline not to mention some new ones on the way, something needed to change.
Was a purchase by Xbox the best thing to happen? Well I am still not sure. Xbox's model has definitely moved away from console gaming and is focusing on the service so this could be a good thing. If they become Xbox exclusives then the gaming community could turn on them. All I know is, for the foreseeable future I will be playing on PC so it doesn't effect me greatly. Elder Scrolls 6, Next Fallout and Doom is where I am keen to see what happens.
Check the release below from Phil Spencer to check out all the details and let us know in the comments what your thoughts are.
Snoogs
Welcoming the Talented
Teams and Beloved Game Franchises of Bethesda to Xbox
by
Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox
Critically acclaimed creators of The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Quake, Starfield and more join Team Xbox
Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.
As one of the largest, most critically acclaimed, privately held game developers and publishers in the world, Bethesda is an incredibly talented group of 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in our industry across Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. These are the teams responsible for franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and many more.
Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world. Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the ground breaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.
Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games. We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. One of the things that has me most excited is seeing the roadmap with Bethesda’s future games, some announced and many unannounced, to Xbox console and PC including Starfield, the highly anticipated, new space epic currently in development by Bethesda Game Studios.
Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you.
All of our work, and the foundation of our relationship with you, starts with a commitment to deliver a breadth of amazing games to discover and play on Xbox. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been excited to share more detail on important elements of a plan we’ve been building towards for years. A plan that is the fulfilment of a promise, to you the Xbox player, to deliver the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation gaming experiences, and the freedom to play blockbuster games with your friends, anytime, anywhere. Today is a landmark step in our journey together and I’m incredibly energized by what this step means for Xbox.
Please join me in welcoming all of our friends at Bethesda to Team Xbox.