Microsoft has revealed today that it expects to release three upcoming Zenimax (Bethesda) games exclusively to Xbox consoles and PC. This nugget of information came courtesy of Microsoft’s official response to the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit to block the Activision Blizzard deal. See below.
No doubt many are speculating which three games might be in question here, as that info was redacted. Most likely two of them are Starfield and Redfall—both of which are set for a 2023 release. As for the third game…we know that Fallout 5 will come after The Elder Scrolls 6, which itself is probably years away. A more likely candidate for this third game being referred to is the Indiana Jones game being developed by Bethesda’s Machine Games.
The statement points out that all three Bethesda titles in question “are designed to be played primarily alone or in small groups.” The second part of this section goes on to explain how Microsoft historically supports cross platform community-oriented online games as in Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online on PlayStation. It also details how the Call of Duty franchise fits into this model, and why “If there were any remaining doubt (about how the Activision Blizzard deal will affect competitors), Xbox’s offer to put Call of Duty on other platforms on commercially favorable terms for those platforms should eliminate it.”
Via Pure Xbox.
