Xbox boss Phil Spencer ripped off the bandage this morning. In an Xbox Wire blog post, Spencer confirmed that Xbox’s acquisition of publisher Bethesda will result in some games that are exclusive to Xbox and PC. And he once again reiterated that Xbox Game Pass is the focus for Microsoft and now for Bethesda’s studios as well.
“With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games,” reads Spencer’s blog post. “[This includes] some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”
This answer still leaves the door open for some Bethesda projects to launch on rival platforms like PlayStation 5. But it also is the most definitive declaration yet that PS5 and Switch will miss out on some Bethesda games.
Ever since Microsoft first initiated the deal to acquire Bethesda, fans have wondered and argued about the fate of the publisher’s games on PS5. But Spencer has said all along that Xbox doesn’t need to release games on Sony or Nintendo consoles to make the deal work.
But then why is he saying only “some” games will launch exclusively on Xbox and PC? This is likely so the company can leave an opportunity open to release multiplayer games on PS5 and Switch. Those kinds of living service games need wide availability to compete against Fortnite.
Spencer also noted that more Bethesda games will come to Xbox Game Pass this week. And his team will talk about that more soon. This is likely a reference to the March 11 presentation that I reported on earlier this week.