Microsoft to Discuss Future Bethesda Plans Once Deal Closes in March, According to Jeff Grubb - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 March 2021 / 2,330 Views
Microsoft announced back in September 2020 it had reached an agreement to acquire Bethesda parent company ZeniMax for $7.5 billion. The deal has not been finalized, however, it is in the final process of approval by the European Commission.
GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb in a recent podcast said Microsoft plans to hold some kind of event once the ZeniMax acquisition is finalized, which will most likely be sometime in March.
"Once the deal closes, they will talk about it in a big way," Grubb said. "I don’t know if it will be a full Direct-style event, but they will make note of it, and they will talk about it extensively, and they will explain what it means to everybody. Kind of talk about the immediate future for both companies becoming one in the future."
As of right now, we don't know for sure if future games from the eight ZeniMax studios will be Xbox console exclusives or if they would get a release on PlayStation or Nintendo platforms.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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My Prediction: All games will be Game Pass exclusive meaning Nintendo and Sony would need to allow it on their systems if they want those games.
Thats what i was thinking aswell. MS holds a fair amount of colatoral to push the service on other devices or other wise those fanbases miss out. However i also dont see them doing it.. not yet.
Nintendo and Sony will never allow Gamepass on their systems. Both companies want to have healthy sales of 3rd party games. Both companies want total control over their own ecosystem. You might as well ask Sony/Nintendo to allow the Steam store to be on PS5/Switch.
GamePass is a feature not a eco-system. GamePass alone is no different to Apps like EA Access except on a much larger scale. You are correct, Sony and Nintendo dont want it as it will promote Xbox on their systems however if MS lock games like Elder Scrolls, Fall Out and Doom etc it puts them not in a good position.
It doesn't matter whether it's a feature or an ecosystem. The end result is the same. If gamepass were to come to Sony/Nintendo consoles then less 3rd party games would be bought for those consoles. That would cut into Nintendo/Sony's 3rd party royalty money.
In short, Bethesda games will be MS exclusive.
So either way, MS wins in this situation. They will gain more sales for their Xbox platforms as the exclusives will surely boost customers and fans of the series, or MS gain a massive boost to GamePass subscribers earning them more revenue and profits. The ball will be in Nintendo's and Sony's court to make the call, MS aren't saying no, its them. That's if they decide to go this route.
Yeah why not, xCloud on Nintendo Switch through Game Pass and Game Pass à la EA Play on PS, makes sense. Since the main focus of MS is no longer selling hardwares but becoming the greatest 3rd party service provider ever, like they did with Android
Exactly. MS would no longer be a threat. We are saying basically this would be a win for Sony and Nintendo. A 2-console race where Sony and Nintendo can continue pumping their exclusives and letting MS pump software through Game Pass. People will continue buying Sony and Nintendo games and the two of them wouldn't have to create a Game Pass like-service.
You know how much revenue MS will gain in the gaming market if GamePass fell on both Nintendo and Sony platforms? You also understand MS are still making Xboxes regardless right? Its not exactly as clear cut as Nintendo and Sony winning, but its giving MS more control on the market as they will be raking in billions where as Sony and Nintendo will still have to invest billions in making hardware which can at times not sell well and many times lose money on hardware alone.
They will be exclusive to XBox and PC, with the exception of games that are already contracted to go to another platform or it is a game as a service situation like Elder Scrolls that already exist on Playstation. All new games and sequels beyond that will be exclusive to MS, and that will fulfill the "case by case" statement that was made in the past.
I don't know what's going to happen with exclusives but with PC and PS5 I'm covered either way. All I know is I'll have a lot of interesting arguments to read over once it's announced either way.
I think MS will stick to their original "case by case" statement, which means we won't know the situation of each game until they are announced. But I think the very first one they announce should be an exclusive one, just to send a message.
Darn it, Jeff, why'd you have to hype me like this?
Zenimax family games will have 1 year exclusive for xbox and pc and then probably release to ps4/5 but definitely nintendo switch will have their ports
If Sony is already planning to drop the PS4 what makes you think that MS needs to keep supporting it?
Horizon 2 is coming to PS4. So support will be there until at least the end of this year. But I doubt any Bethesda games will be ready in that time, so you are right.
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