Last year, Microsoft subsidiary Obsidian released The Outer Worlds for PS4 as well. Microsoft subsidiary inXile, for instance, released a version of Wasteland 3 for the PlayStation 4 just last month. There have been some exceptions to this general rule when it comes to Microsoft's recent external acquisitions, though. AdvertisementĮnlarge / The Outer Worlds was in development for PS4 long before Microsoft purchased its developer. It's the reason why Microsoft's internal studios like Turn 10, World's Edge, The Coalition, and 343 Industries don't make franchises like Forza, Age of Empires, Gears of War, and Halo for the PlayStation 5. This is the reason that console makers have funded exclusive game development since well before Super Mario Bros. That in turn attracts more developers to make games for the console, which attracts even more console sales-and so on in a virtuous cycle. More people buying Microsoft hardware means a bigger addressable audience for future Xbox games. The case for Microsoft to make Bethesda's games exclusive to Xbox consoles (with potential PC versions alongside) is simple: fans of those games are more likely to buy an Xbox Series S or X (and/or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass) in order to play them. But looking at Microsoft's history of acquisitions and exclusives gives some hints at what we might expect going forward. Zenimax Online Studios also tweeted a promise this morning that The Elder Scrolls Online "will continue to be supported exactly as it was, and we fully expect it to keep growing and thriving on each of the platforms that are currently supported." That's good news for current players on the PS4, but the careful wording might suggest problems for players hoping for a PlayStation 5 upgrade in the coming months.īeyond that, we're left guessing what Microsoft may decide for other current Bethesda franchises. There's also little chance that previously released Bethesda games will be pulled from the PlayStation Store or the Nintendo eShop (always a remote possibility, but possible if Microsoft tried to press its newly acquired advantage). That means games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, which have been heavily promoted as PS5 console exclusives, will remain so for their planned releases next year. Spencer confirmed to Bloomberg that Bethesda would honor all existing commitments for non-Xbox releases. Thus far, there are only a few clues as to which games might qualify for either side of that "case-by-case" line. Future Bethesda titles will still be considered for multi-platform release "on a case-by-case basis,” Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in an interview with Bloomberg News Monday morning. Still, there is some hope for Bethesda fans who don't want to play on Xbox, PC, or via Microsoft's xCloud streaming. That certainty went out the window yesterday, though, when Microsoft announced that it would spend $7.5 billion to acquire major publisher Bethesda Softworks. Further Reading Microsoft purchases Bethesda Softworks in industry-changing acquisition As recently as last weekend, it seemed relatively certain that the next games in major franchises like Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, and The Evil Within would come to the PlayStation 5 (and maybe even to the Nintendo Switch).
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