Welcoming the Talented Teams and Beloved Game Franchises of Bethesda to Xbox

From Xbox Wire: "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."

[Doge]

Whoa nelly that came outta nowhere.

[aconnellan]

It really did - and that’s a get, Bethesda is a powerhouse when it comes to their library of up (not counting the most recent entries to the Fallout franchise)

[RpgSama]

Oh wow!, that's a big purchase!!, congrats to Microsoft, hopefully this will make Bethesda finally change their dated engine for Fallout and Elders Scrolls, lol.

P.s: Just thought about MS having Avowed AND Elders Scrolls, they sure are hitting hard on that genre market.

P.s.2: how much did they cost? And will they keep those games exclusive, all of them? Some of them? Will they do exclusives on a franchise by franchise basis? SO MANY questions!

[UltraNova]

Rpg,

MS spend a cool 7.5 billion to get Bethesda, incidentally that's the same amount of bugs and glitches across the latter's entire game collection.

[RpgSama]

@UltraNova

Wow, that's a lot of dough, now I'm even more curious to see what their strategy will be, will they go FULL exclusive or a case by case basis, they will need to recoup all that money.

Sony will definitely need to respond to this with their own set of purchases, if Bethesda will actually be FULLY exclusive, this IS more of a blow than all the other Studios MS bought before put together.

[darthv72]

Wow. I didnt believe it at first when I saw some posts on fb. But I guess its true.

MS genereally will keep already established multiplat series multiplat so ones like elder scrolls and fallout should be fine. That new game from bethesda though... that looks like an ES game. Yeah that one is likely exclusive to MS.

[Sayai jin]

Bethesda games in the future may still be released on other platforms, there is a large audience on PS. Time will tell on that, but what is for sure is that this aqcuisition will mean even more quality games for game pass.

[ABizzel1]

There's no downplaying this, this is huge for them, and a big push for GamePass.

[SullysCigar]

Yeah agreed. As long as they don't make the games exclusive it's all good! As I understand it, that's not the plan, so nobody gets left behind.

Microsoft seems to have a taste for multiplat publishing now. It's worked well for them with Minecraft - it comes to PSVR as a free patch in a couple of days time, too!

[Imalwaysright]

RpgSama

True! Obsidian, InXile and now Bethesda means that Xbox is the go to console for western RPGs.

[pinkcrocodile75]

LOL @uRaDecepticon your eyes got really big?... I nearly cacked me pants.

Hilarious news, amazingly well kept secret by MS with a deliberate news drop of this afternoon (British Summer Time) just before pre-orders go live.

Well done MS, you've taken a sh*t on Sony's lawn

[umair_s51]

Yup. That's how it's done.

[Ju]

A lot of subscriptions to make those $7BN back. I wonder how they can make money with that. If you can't beat them, buy them. I guess. And no, no more games for Playstation other the ones which are already on the release plan. No more Doom, etc. Guess I am the only one not being happy about "gangster capitalism"...but ok .

Well, on the flipside, all those games will come out on PC. Hopefully not only on Gamepass, though. Not buying anything from that XB store. That's a joke.

[Unspoken]

OMG! Microsoft is firing on all cylinders! While others are looking at mysterious ports, box art, remakes of failing first party franchises, price hikes, being lied to about no cross gen... MS is bringing more gaming to more people with cross gen, Play Anywhere, Gamepass, xCloud, new studios and amazing veterans!

Crap...I might have to switch to Sony. I'm always for the under dog if they have potential to continue innovation. Time to keep supporting both; PSVR, new exclusives and worlds, new architectures and tech. The future of gaming is finally coming into full swing!

[TallDarknWavy]

Honestly, Doom is the only thing I care about, I'll be pissed if it doesn't remain multiplatform the same way Minecraft is. Sony needs to buy Take Two and Rockstar in return.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Damn! Ms ain't f#*King around next gen!

[UltraNova]

Well this is a megaton... Damn what a move from MS!

Will all those games be Xbox and PC exclusive going forward (sans previous multiplatform contractual agreements of course)?

[Jericho1337]

Huge news, the day before Xbox on pre order too. Microsoft clearly want their console to be the place to play RPGs and FPSs.

[shabz666]

It would be in Microsoft’s best interest to let them publish games on all platforms. Man this the future Microsoft heading to. Becoming ubiquitous. They are publishing games on Nintendo. There was talk of them wanting to publish master chief collection at some point on PlayStation. If they decide to put games from zenimax studios day and date on game pass and then let them release on same time on other platforms it just grows all the teams.

It’s in their best interest to stay multiplat. And I suspect that’s what’s going to happen. Microsoft is spreading its tentacles across the industry.

[jerethdagryphon]

This is bad news a major distribution agent moving lots of major things to probably xbox pc inly

[CorndogBurglar]

I mean, they spent 7.5 billion to buy Bethesda. They'll want to make that money back asap. Which likely means their biggest titles will remain multiplat.....for a while anyway. If they make them exusives they would be cutting their potential audience/sales by more than half.

Seems to me like the smart thing would be to keep those titles on as many platforms as they can until they make their money back.

[-Foxtrot]

They had Obsidian...was that really not enough

Jesus

[UltraNova]

Nope.

This is truly a "when is enough, enough?" moment.

What's next MS buying T2, EA or Activision?

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

Sony shouldn't have let this happen. If MS makes these games exclusive, their lineup is on par with Sony's. It also means that none of the sequels of PS5 console exclusives like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo (edit: I should have said that they are timed) will come to PlayStation. Holy shit.

It is telling that Deathloop isn't mentioned or put in the image alongside Bethesda's other games though.

[RaidenBlack]

@LucasRuinedChildhood
Deathloop and Ghostwire was/is timed console exclusive for PS5. (Has to be)

[Obscure_Observer]

@-Foxtrot

"They had Obsidian...was that really not enough"

Enough? How IRONIC. Specially coming from YOU!

What did you said about Phil, again? Oh yes:

"Doubt it...Phil has been all talk about first party games since he took over. They just don't want to invest or spend money as they are greedy shits."

https://n4g.com/news/212180...

Serves you RIGHT.

What goes around, comes around.

LMAO. XD

[oof46]

@LucasRuinedChildhood: You know how bonkers this deal is? It cost more than the entire Sony Playstation division made in 2019. That's just insane.

[itsmebryan]

@ultranova
This is what happens when you poke the bear. But, instead they poked Godzilla. So, now Xbox gets all their games included with Gamepass day one and MS makes money on copy sold to PS and don't forget Sony is supposed to be using MS cloud services.

That's a boss move make money off of your competition.

@lucas
Sony could not have stopped it. They are not as big as MS.

[Ju]

Well, Zenimax (basically that's what MS bought) tried a hostile take over of Ubisoft a couple of times. I wonder if they will try this again. Sorry to say, but if that's going to happen I will call for regulations. That would be the end of independent publishers and absolutely anti competitive and anti consumer.

[Nintentional]

🧂

[SyntheticForm]

They're playing hardball now.

[NeoGamer232]

So, much for people questioning whether MS will stay in gaming and consoles...

This is what is know as a double-down.

[Ju]

Well, I wonder who approved that deal. From a business standpoint this doesn't make the slightest of sense. When are they going to make that money back? Never?

[PhiberFrenzy]

Microsoft are worth a $trillion they could buy sony a few times over. Let's all pretend it's all about the ps/xbox. I think hardball is an understatement.

[lelo2play]

Great acquisition by Microsoft... BOOOOM.

Big win for Gamepass.

[GamerRN]

I'm thinking Gamepass just gained a ton of value!

[Relientk77]

Instead of saying "16 times the detail" Todd Howard is now gonna say "16 times the money 💰"

[porkChop]

That's insane. Bethesda couldn't have been cheap. I never thought they'd go that aggressive. That's an incredible buy for them. Doom, Wolfenstein, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, Prey, and their huge catalog of dormant IP... Wow. That's a power move.

[Ju]

I wonder if they even knew about that deal. MS bought Zenimax, not Bethesda, but its parent.

[UnHoly_One]

7.5 Billion, apparently.

Almost double what Disney paid for Star Wars.

[oof46]

Color me flabbergasted.

[hulk_bash1987]

Well damn, MS making moves to make surr their next gen consoles are a success. Great get, this defintely made getting a Series X more of a necessity for me.

[Ju]

Why? All those games release on PC (incl. Gamepass)

[UnHoly_One]

This has been said hundreds of times but some people apparently still don't get it.

Lot's of people don't WANT to game on a PC.

They'd rather buy a 4-500 dollar box, plug it into their TV, and flop down in their recliner to play.

[Marquinho]

What a nuclear bomb!!! Wow! Wow! Wow!....

FATALITY! 😱

[mark3214uk]

typical of ms tho, can't build any good studios and game's, they have to get the wallet out to buy them

[Manic2014]

Holy shi*

[crazyCoconuts]

this is incredibly big!

[cell989]

That’s what she said

[RazzerRedux]

Huge. I'm just glad MS puts all their games on PC.

[RaidenBlack]

I nearly choked while having my breakfast ...

[Charlieboy333]

Are you sure you were chocking on breakfast !? 😝

[IMissJimRyan]

My vision about Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 changed completely now.

Sony should ask politely to MS put Game Pass on PlayStation, asap.

[UltraNova]

It's to MS's best interest to keep publishing on the world's biggest console platform.

[crazyCoconuts]

I doubt they'll roll over and hand Xbox their platform with GamePass, but this will certainly have an impact on PS in the long run. As a Sony fan, i hate to say this, but MS really needs to make the future games exclusive to Xbox to some extent - that's the point of acquiring i think.
Independent of how they handle Game Pass in the future, just having a lock on these IPs is amazing, and is going to rock Sony's world one way or another

[UltraNova]

Shaggy,

It's MS who has to make up their minds here, not us...

[neutralgamer1992]

Shaggy

I hope you feel the same if Sony were to buy take two and make GTA exclusive. Sony will react to this now and the same who are praising xbox now will hate on sony

Take two
Capcom
Sega
Square enix

Sony should buy 2-3 of these

[Sayai jin]

NeutralGamer, Sony just spent over $750M on securing 3rd party games and content as timed and total PS exclusives. They may try to aqcuire the studios you mentioned, but at the same time, Microsoft may be doing the same. It's all proper strategic moves and who has the deepest pockets.

[itsmebryan]

@Ultra
No it's best for them to keep the games to themselves as Xbox and PC exclusives. Remember how important exclusives are? You know people want the console with the most exclusives. Now they have the most powerful console and the best exclusives and more of them with all these studios.

Does this change your choice of next-gen console and if not why?

[No Way]

neutralgamer1992

Just a guess, here, but im pretty sure Sony isn't large enough to purchase 2-3 of those companies - especially not Take 2.

[MADGameR]

Are you crazy? X Box Gamepass is nothing special. SONY is winning this generation easy.

[badz149]

@locomorales

hahaha...NO! Bethesda will continue to self-publish their games despite being under MS and just like Minecraft, will still be available on PS platforms - Plus Minecraft is getting the free VR update soon too. is that available on xbox yet?

there is just no way Sony would be able to stop this as MS is using monies not gained from its gaming division for this purchase. we know MS can even buy EA with all the monies they have but the most important thing here is, the only thing that's going to change is where the money from Bethesda sales end up in, which is to MS now. so far, PS gamers is still getting the games. it would only spell troubles for Sony is MS makes these games only PC and xbox. but I doubt MS hates money as games sales best on PS 99% of the time.

[MWH]

w/effect:

https://youtu.be/DV1fUwKMdA...

[Felix_Argyle_Catbro]

Bethesda games now only on PC and Xbox. Holy fuck.

[dazsarge]

No, Phil Spencer did not say anything about that yet. We have to wait and see what they do.

[Felix_Argyle_Catbro]

Phil Spencer does not say Bethesda games will now be exclusive to Xbox, but I wonder if they need to be..

$70 on PS5. Or available on Xbox day one as part of Game Pass.

[EnViiDisnuCCa]

Phil didn't say yet but it's most likely gonna shut out ps5 besides that ghost of Tokyo game

[crazyCoconuts]

I get there's Minecraft, but in general the idea is to buy these to be exclusive to the platform. Maybe they'll entertain timed exclusives but I wouldn't count on it. This is huge

[Sayai jin]

That's right Felix...the valie of game pass just grew in magnitude.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

Why would they not do that though? MS desperately needs solid exclusives to keep Xbox relevant, and they've somehow managed to acquire a major studio that can give them that in spades. Bethesda may not be my favourite company in the world but their IPs are popular for a reason.

[boing1]

Not yet. Look at Minecraft. I would wait for official info.

[GamerRN]

Free on Gamepass day 1! That's huge!

[EnViiDisnuCCa]

nintendo and Sony paid Microsoft to have mine craft n Sony paid them too have player unknown battlegrounds game

[UnHoly_One]

Minecraft was already an established game on other platforms.

I don't think it's safe to apply those same rules to something like an Elder Scrolls 6 that will come out in a couple years.

I don't see any way they put them on PS5, but we'll see.

[boing1]

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying it's easy to jump the gun with this kind of news. If this deal means they will be doing only MS exclusives from now on, good for MS. Just don't forget they are also software company and they need to invest in every market they can. Look what they're doing on Android. Though, Doom as an exclusive to MS platforms would be huge. Man, exciting times.

[b00mFargl3]

Phil said officially it will be on a case by case basis. Implying that yes, there will be exclusivity. People ask for Microsoft to make better and more exclusives and they are doing what they can to secure that.

[Killer73nova]

Yeah I’m not sure sure about that. Idk how much profit Microsoft would get from Bethesda but since games are going up I think it would be a good move to put their games on gamepass and sell at $70 on ps5 kinda shy Sony players from buying and get an Xbox or pc to play on gamepass? Who know but I doubt they will keep it exclusive to Xbox but we shall see

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

This does show the benefit of MS's approach of letting their games be on both console and PC. It makes these acquisitions way easier.

[Storm23]

Huge get for Microsoft. Will be interesting to see what they do. Luckily for me I don't play any of those franchises or else it would have been really hard. Don't think I can afford an Xbox as well as my PS5. Congrats Xbox gamers. I feel bad for people like me who can't afford both consoles but love some of those franchises (if they don't stay multi-platform).

[Ju]

Not that big of a deal in my books, tbh (other than the typical MS money toss which I have issues with, but...). All games on PC. I wonder who games on a console exclusive these days.

[Imalwaysright]

It's possible that Bethesda's more popular IPs (Fallout/Elder Scrolls) will be released on the PS5 just like Minecraft is available on PS4 but we have to wait see what exactly is MS going to do.

[FyBy]

They dont have to be. Day one on gamepass will make the difference.

[Christopher]

Highly unlikely they won't keep their IPs multiplatform. But, you can guarantee that once Sony's licenses are done with Bethesda on PSNow, GamePass will be the only place to pay to play all those titles day 1 and likely have extra benefits to playing on GamePass in the future.

This is a major get for GamePass.

[Charlieboy333]

Holy who cares. They aren't the same anymore.....last two games were utter old ass crap running on Noah's engine that powered the Ark. Only good thing is ID software and the only good thing from them lately has been Doom ( surprise surprise ). So now under Microsofty we will get more friggin Doom.....maybe called 'Doom Infinte' next after 'Eternal' just to match. As for Wolfenstein and Elder Scrolls etc they peaked already along with Fallout. Anyone who thinks this will bring a new wave of creativity and awesomness under Microsoft is a moron.....get ready to be monetized all the way back into your mother for the sake of Franchise Names and Nostalgia.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

Sounds like a hater....

[aconnellan]

That was unexpected. Super interesting timing too, wonder if that’ll work in their favour with pre orders going up within the day

[DJStotty]

pre orders open in the UK tomorrow at 8am

[Kurt Russell]

I managed to secure an X at Argos. It seems they sold out fast (I missed out on PS5 orders)

[DJStotty]

Me too, me and my bro were F5-ing Game with no luck so both tried Argos, a few refreshes and then payment went through lol

[CheerUpButtercup]

Now that's a catch. Good deal.

[Vengeance1138]

Was it said anywhere that all these series would be now exclusive? Don't think it would make sense to do so, or it this just another Minecraft situation where nothing changes?

[Manic2014]

I think its safe to say it'll go exclusive for Gamepass - Xbox and PC only.

[Vengeance1138]

That would be a fatal financial flaw, Gamepass doesnt sell THAT well. They'd never be able to make up the costs of all these $100M+ series.

[DiRtY]

Well, let Skyrim 2 be Xbox / PC exclusive with a day one release on gamepass and see how many subscriptions will be sold...

[Manic2014]

"Gamepass doesnt sell THAT well"

Press release states they have 15 mil subs....

I think its pretty doing well

[crazyCoconuts]

yea, the next Elder Scrolls game not being on PS is going to sting a LOT. Sony is going to have to start including a partition on the PS6 that runs Windows lol

[KeenBean345]

I assume it will be like Obsidian. Current projects will stay multiplat like ES6, Starfield, etc but future ones will be console exclusive to xbox.

[cloud 279]

I believe MS will only honor the 2 timed exclusives from Bethesda (Ghostwire and Deathloop) since Sony already has an agreement on these. Starfield, ES 6, and any other future projects will be available only on Xbox and PC.

Fallout 76 & ESO will be continuously supported for PS, unless MS decides to scrap the project altogether.

[CheerUpButtercup]

How does nothing change? MS would make money on every title sold no matter the platform...you understand they're in the business of making profit yes?

[Vengeance1138]

You understand that MS has infinite money behind them and Sony still woops them around like they're nothing right? It changes absolutely nothing if MS makes more money from each game sold, you know that right?

PlayStation is still the most recognized and popular brand and Xbox is going 3rd party soon after coming out and saying they don't care at all if series X sells or not.

[spicelicka]

Why wouldn't it make sense to do so? It COULD be like Minecraft but they would have to confirm.

[coolastheycome]

I think it makes great sense. Sony would make them exclusive if they had made this purchase. So they should be exclusive. Either way, xbox benefits even if they go to PS5. It'll be like Sony fan boys buying Xbox games.

[jdaboss]

game pass has 15 million subscribers and is growing. this is a win.

[itsmebryan]

@Vengeance1138
You forget this is just a drop in the bucket to a company the size of MS. Remember exclusives sale consoles and those consoles sale services. To your point don't you think Sony should release all the their exclusives on multi platform? If they did that with their weaker system would you buy it?

It would be safe to say a multi billion dollars company may have a slightly better grasp on finances than you? I think they will be alright.

[DJStotty]

Why would it not make sense?

What better way to get the fallout and elder scrolls fans to invest in the MS ecosystem

[mikefizzled1]

$7.5b cash for them. Absolutely bonkers

[boing1]

Wow!! That's a big one!

[boing1]

That's what she said.

[Agito1987]

OMG
This could make them FPS king on consoles once again.

[DJStotty]

hand in hand with a Halo delay?

Things are looking good for Halo Infinite, sharing the dev experience and engines.

[Father Murder X]

I doubt that they make these games exclusive. They will still release on PC and Playstation but will be released as part of Gamepass. That makes the most sense from a business standpoint. Sony around here buying time exclusives--Microsoft buying companies.

[Killer73nova]

I agree with you. Have games sell on pc and PlayStation for 60-70 bucks that way they can make some money and that way people have the option to jump on gamepass

[coolastheycome]

I wouldn't help Sony out. Make them exclusive. If you want to play them, get a PC or Xbox. Unless Sony is gonna make some of their exclusives, like Horizon Journey to the West, available on Xbox.

[NEXUS-6]

Thats exactly how it should be - but they didn't do that with Minecraft, which at the time was the biggest game in the world. So who knows.

[UnHoly_One]

Minecraft is a totally different thing considering it was already an established game on all kinds of different devices.

It made more sense to support it than to pull it from everywhere else, or to just stop updating it or whatever.

But a brand new game that comes out in a couple years? I think they will keep it exclusive. It would be silly not to. But they've shocked me before, so who knows?

[crazyCoconuts]

We're all guessing on the business side, but I agree w/ Jim Ryan in that you can't create these really expensive single player AAA games and put them on a sub service day 1 and make money, especially when you start doing it with more and more AAA games. Doesn't make sense. So you either:
a) have to change the types of games to be longer lasting in game purchase kind of games (like ESO, Fortnite, etc)
b) stop making them available day 1 on the sub service
c) make Game Pass more expensive or add a more expensive tier
Perhaps you could use the sales on the other platforms to fund the GamePass losses, but the point is to eventually have GamePass profitable, so either (a),(b), or (c) has to happen eventually imo

[UnHoly_One]

I'm not an accounting expert but they have 15 million game pass subscribers right now.

At 10 dollars a month, that's 1.8 billion dollars per year. (Not counting for Game Pass ultimate at $15/month, or for people that are still on the $1 deal)

I think they can afford to make AAA games for GamePass.

[crazyCoconuts]

Keep in mind that's revenue you're calculating and doesn't take any of the expense into account that's needed to keep the service hydrated with third party games. Also who really knows out of the 15M how many are actual stable paying customers

[Ju]

So, if you buy a company for $7BN and put all their games on a subscription service for free, how many subscriptions do you need to sell?

On that note. Not so much PS5 related, but what does this mean for the PC? Will those games now be off Steam and Gampepass only? That is something I would actually not like at all.

[Hauntedasylum8]

This one came out of nowhere! My goodness.

[sromoli]

WTF?? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

[Felix_Argyle_Catbro]

Phil Spencer does not say Bethesda games will now be exclusive to Xbox, but I wonder if they need to be.

$70 on PS4. Or available on Xbox day one as part of Game Pass.

[Agito1987]

Can go 2 ways.
Stays on all systems, but will be free game pass, or like hell blade. Everything that is already announced goes multiplat and all the new stuff goes everywhere except sony.

[DJStotty]

hellblade 2 is not multiplatform.

Hellblade was on PlayStation timed exclusive before Msoft bought the studio.

[DeadManMMX]

I was thinking the same thing ever since The Outer Worlds launched last year.

[djplonker]

Deathloop is a bethesda published game and is exclusive to pc and ps5.

I imagine everything except fallout and eso will be exclusive going forward.

[Petebloodyonion]

I expect to keep games on all system but day 1 on Gamepass.
They have hinted that Bethesda will still be the publisher's name and not Microsoft.

[RazzerRedux]

If there are any agreements on upcoming games going to PS4 in place then I'd say they will be honored, but after that, I'm expecting all Bethesda games to be Xbox and PC exclusives.

[DiRtY]

Huge win for Microsoft!

[RightFootGames]

and a huge loss for gaming.

[supraman21]

Not really. You want a Bethesda game? Buy an Xbox :)

[coolastheycome]

Only if you play on one console is this a loss. Don't be a fanboy of a console. Be a gaming fanboy. This is why I always buy all of the consoles. Great games on all consoles.

[Killer73nova]

You can say it’s a huge loss for gaming since you can only play God of war on PlayStation

[Baza]

Is it really a win though? I mean they just spent $7.5 billion..

[Bathyj]

Wow.

[Sitdown]

Haha, how did you get a disagree? Oh N4G.

[I_am_Batman]

That might be the biggest acquisition in gaming history. Let's hope MS isn't getting too greedy and actually have a plan for how to manage the huge influx of talented studios.

[pabadamus1]

Well... didn't see this one coming...

[-Foxtrot]

Sony need to open a studio to make Elder Scroll / Fallout like games or open that wallet for some studios because this is huge

Fallout, Bethesda, Doom, Wolfenstein, Dishonored, Starfield, Prey, Evil Within...it’s a lot

[Ristul]

Sony is in dire need of western RPGs, even more so now that MS has both Bethesda and Obsidian. Larian Studios could be a studio Sony could realistically afford and with the right backing it could be turned into a developer that could rival at least Obsidian.

[BillyG0AT]

lol wat

[dumahim]

Well, maybe they can fix their shit now.

[smashman98]

Woah thats incredible. big win for Microsoft.

[EnViiDisnuCCa]

Damm 7.5 billion

[Sitdown]

Wow, so was this the additional purchasing that was originally mentioned, or is there more to come?

[Xb1ps4]

More to come... waiting on the the naughty dog news lmao

[Donnie81]

Big time move! Wow

[no_more_heroes]

Interesting how they drop this "little tidbit" a day before pre-orders open up...

[djplonker]

90%+ of gamers wont notice or care until the game they cant have is up for preorder or atleast has a trailer.

[UltimateRacer]

Hopefully these franchises are still available on all platforms otherwise it’s a scummy move.

[goldwyncq]

Just like Spider-Man being a PS exclusive character in the Avengers game?

[UltimateRacer]

That’s thanks to Marvel.

[ILostMyMind]

Can't you play Avengers outside of PlayStation?

[MrBeatdown]

Comparing a DLC character to a publisher?

lol ok

[cartoonx1]

yea hate that spiderman is exclusive to sony, with xbox we atleast have option to play on PC.

[green]

It is business.

[Killer73nova]

Pretty scummy of Sony to buy insomniac games and keep sunset overdrive from Xbox when they made it specifically for them. Your logic is oh it’s ok for Sony to buy and make it exclusive but it’s the end of the gaming word if Microsoft does it

[Donnie81]

Plenty of reasons to buy a series x now

[ziggurcat]

Arguably not.

[goldwyncq]

Didn’t see that coming.

[Gatsu]

O_O

[JEECE]

Wow. Didn't see this coming. Guessing a lot of "Bethesda has sucked since Oblivion" people are going to start singing a different tune now.

[DJStotty]

let's see the Sony camp try and downplay this

"Grabs popcorn"

This should be good

[ILostMyMind]

How so? "Sony camp" was always pro exclusivity. But 'M$ camp' has always spoken about how this is anti-consumer and harm the gaming community. We can already see this speech changing without having to look very far.

I like popcorn with bacon taste.

[LimpTool]

I never had a problem with exclusive games. It's the exclusive content that always bothered me. If they own the studio they can make the game only available on their system (s) of choice. Will be interesting to see how Sony reacts.

[RightFootGames]

A sad day for gaming. I can't wait to see all the people who complain about timed exclusives and who say games should be on as many consoles as possible when they aren't on xbox tell us all how great Micrsoft keeping games off PlayStation and Nintendo consoles is for gaming.

Buying companies that were making games for everyone to keep them off rival consoles is a loss for gaming and terrible for long term competition.

[Agito1987]

...Final fantasy 7 & 16

[VersusDMC]

Ha! Power move by Microsoft.

And I bet it won't get half the anti-consumer hate Sony got for the exclusive Avengers Spiderman DLC...

[Xb1ps4]

Wow!!!!

[IRetrouk]

Thats some buy, hats off ms, this is exciting news for the future of xbox.

[Rainbowcookie]

Now we talking. Actually something I care about.

[TheTony316]

well, that's brutal, lol.

[Godmars290]

So what happens to the Elder Scrolls-like game they're working on? Move it over to Bethesda and turn it into an Elder Scrolls game?

[Xb1ps4]

I was on a f Xbox after the games reveal but now...... not so much..... Microsoft, will you take me back?! Lol

[recepakin]

Holy Fucking shit!!

[DragoonUS]

Now, THAT was a good move from MS! Damn this will hurt on Sony.

[BillyG0AT]

"For $7.5 billion dollars, Microsoft has unveiled its acquisition of Zenimax Media, the holding company of Bethesda Softworks, id Software, Arkane Studios, Machine Games, Tango Gameworks, and all of its properties. This gives Microsoft ownership of legendary, industry-leading IP including DOOM, Quake, The Evil Within, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, Prey, and dozens more, including future games like The Elder Scrolls VI, and Starfield."

Little 7 and a half bill like it's nothing xD

[Stormswrath4]

How is Elder Scrolls not the first name on that list.....oh, maybe because a new game in the series hasn't been released since 2011....SMDH

[green]

These recent acquisitions and with this one in particular proves that the Xbox divisions pockets are not limited to that of Microsoft Games studios but by that of the entire Microsoft cooperation. Nice play Microsoft. I sure as hell did not see this coming.

[Automatic79]

Congratulations team Xbox.

[iplay1up2]

Wow! This is HUGE! Xbox Series X is going to have some fantastic exclusives! They already have Obsidian! I am still on the fence, but think I might get Series X first. All Xbox games come to Game Pass day 1.

[mrsolidsteel20]

My God, MS has the Doom franchise now?!!!! Holy shit!!!

[gold_drake]

everyone says thats a good deal, but the only thing I remember are the with bugs riddled games .elders scroll and fallout are the ones that ppl really care about from them.

[OneLove]

Holy shit! Xbox went crazy for this one🔥

[Pricey]

As long as I can still get all future Doom release on either steam and or PS5 I'm fine with this. I don't want this locked behind gamepass. I always thought that publishers we a major hurdle with the gamepass model, if you are the publisher that kinda goes away a bit. Still 7.5 billion, it's a rich man's game.

[Battlestar23]

Congrats Microsoft looks like you won Next-gen. Though Phil Spencer is just as bad as a liar as Jim Ryan. 'Exclusivity is anti costumer' lol.

[averagejoe26]

Imagine thinking that buying Bugthesda makes you instantly win a gen lmao

[Relientk77]

They did this 1 day before Xbox pre-orders open. Clever girl

[Petebloodyonion]

That is some major news coming out of nowhere
And just pointing out that all future Behtesda games are gonna come to Gamepass day 1.

[RgR]

Holy Crap.
You have got to be kidding me.

This smells like sewer shit to me.
How much money is microsoft willing to throw arrround.

Dont like this one bit. First obsidian and now bethesda...shit

[LimpTool]

$7.5 billion

[Valkron1]

Oh, come on. You can afford a PC 🙂

[RgR]

Well thankfully won't need to since they will still self publish.

Time will tell.

[thornh]

Congrats MS. The only Bethesda game I truly invested any time in was Skyrim so, personally, this is not a big loss for me as a Sony fan. Still a big publisher. It will be interesting if Sony counters at all. Their current first party studios are still superior to anything MS has, including Bethesda. I think they should just add to their development studios and not go out and buy a whole publisher. I would be happy if they acquired From Software.

On another note I believe it has always been MS that said exclusives do not matter. I guess buying an entire game publisher disproves that point. Overall, I feel any console manufacturer buying a game publisher is ultimately going to be bad for the industry.

[GoodGuy09]

Well thats insane lol. Never thought mcsft would purchase a big publisher like bethesda.

[cloganart]

This war is going to get aggressive.

If Starfield and TESVI are Xbox and PC exclusives, it will be interesting.

[IdeasWithJax]

I'm thinking about this purchase and I'm thinking of their IP. I think this is long term MSFT VR exclusives play. Their games do sell well but not enough to justify that purchase price alone. I do think most of their games do lend themselves well to possible VR experiences.

[gold_drake]

thats what I thought too. its a great company to have on ur side but for that price? I dont know lol.

[Kassanova07]

Whoa

[ramtah]

i Have never played any of Bethesda games lol..

[Valkron1]

I've never played an Activision game 🙃

[averagejoe26]

Oh...k? Seems wildly irrelevant.

[JayRyu]

Congrats Microsoft 👏
Games will still be released on on playstation like Minecraft and Ori on the Switch.

It will just be on Gamepass day 1

[zoks310]

7.5 billion! God good.

They pretty much got all the games that were big on XB360, so a smart move. Its not like they closed their eyes and pulled the trigger, they know from history that the games from this studio will always do great on XB and always have.

[glenn1979]

I was planning to buy and Xbox anyways, but this is crazyy news

[Limitedtimestruggle]

A huge score for Microsoft indeed!

[talocaca]

I guess they will keep throwing money at the problem 😅

[Sitdown]

Owners of Zenimax Media and Bethesda are the problem? Because that's why got the money....hmmmm, don't think you thought that out to well.

[Valkron1]

Yeah, are you talking about the lack of exclusives problem? 🤣

[Heavenly King]

ok M$, XBOXSX will be my second console this gen.

[Valkron1]

I hope this won't effect Elder Scrolls Skyrim from releasing on PS5

[Fantangoooo]

I wouldnt hold my breath... MS just did a major MIC DROP...
This is Chess not checkers.

[EasilyTheBest]

Bonkers news, How amazing does this make Gamepass. All future games from Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios on Gamepass day 1.

[jadnice]

Interesting move by Microsoft. Makes sense to make a big move like this to put themselves in a position to really compete with Sony this up coming next generation console wars. One area Sony dominated in is exclusive 1st and 2nd party AAA games.

[JayRyu]

So now we know Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo are timed exclusive for sure

[Fantangoooo]

MS published 2 Sony timed exclusives... 2020 is wild.

[thesoftware730]

This is the biggest announcement in gaming for a good long while now. Gamepass is getting ridiculous..anyone still trash talking gamepass obviously just a ridiculous fanboy. You dont have to like it, but definitely respect it.

Megaton!!

[andron]

That's surprising. Hope not everything wil be exclusive.

[waverider]

Nothing is exclusive. Everything is multiplat. Its the same like minecraft.

[cabinotier]

MS will make more money on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
More Personal Computing Division will be more stable.

[ssj27]

This is definitely a great move as a Playstation gamer indo admit badestha does make interesting games and i tend to buy their games once in awhile other than sony studios lately. But ain't buying a xbox just for their games their engine is also usually outdated. Other than woiftein or however you write it. I as thinking sony should acquire Bethesda because they do check many things sony doesn't do . This is srt huge move by Microsoft if sny doesn't do anything about it and Bethesda does goes exclusive to xbox pc i do see sony losing sales and xbox gaining at least 10 to 20 million extra hardware sales. Eve through most Bethesda community is on pc already.

I thought if someone was going to buy them it was sony seen how theyhad two tine exclusives coming to the ps5.

Only way sony can counter attack this news is acquiring Konami or squareenix.

And building a new AAA fantasy rpg studio bringing devs from Bethesda witcher 3 etc.

[mynameisthumper]

HOLY WHAT THIS IS INSANE

[Sophisticated_Chap]

The question is, who has the better first party studios, Microsoft or Sony?

[averagejoe26]

Sony by a landslide.

Bugthesda and Tod Howard are usually laughing stocks of the industry. Xbot fans are now acting like they're the greatest thing to ever happen to gaming lol definitely makes Xbox first party more interesting but nowhere close to the quality of Playstation.

[zarbor]

Finally, someone at MS had enough brains to realize that their exclusive games cannot compete with the competition. It wasn't even close despite the fanboy rants to the contrary. Acquiring Bethesda makes this competition a whole lot closer and better for MS. Those other studio previously required were okay but not on the level of this one.

I had no intention of buying another XBOX machine. Now this acquisition has changed that conversation. Lets hope MS let Bethesda keep doing what they do and not get involved.

[Hawk198666]

Xbox fanboys are out in force. Seriously how is this big, what big games have Bethesda done past few years.... Non. They do half decent games and bug ridden broken games. Big woop. If Microsoft themselves can't bring in players, how are Bethesda gonna do it lol.

[Father__Merrin]

xbox consoles weekly are dying off all this means is they have aquires zenimax so the only real plus for a dwindling xbox gamer is its a possibility those games will be on gamepass. they dont buy games anymore only subscribe

[goldwyncq]

It’s not just Bethesda, it’s their parent company and every IP that comes with it. So say goodbye to Doom, Evil Within, Dishonored, and a bunch of other games if you’re a Playstation owner only.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

"Xbox fanboys are out in force"

And what does that make you?

[MrPerfect813]

I mean, do they really even need to make them exclusive if they just put all the new stuff on Gamepass day 1, but still charge full price to all the other consoles?

[Rocosaurus]

It is unlikely that future Bethesda games will be exclusive to PS5. Most likely no extra cost on Gamepass and 60/70$ on PS5.

Either way MS is shaking things up in the game biz, which is always fun. As someone who is getting Xbox and PS I hope there is some big countermove from Sony.

[cabinotier]

Sony has already invested $250 million in Epic Games.

[neomahi]

I'm not at all surprised. They've been buddy buddy for a long time, Bethesda have been at all of Microsoft's E3 Press Conferences. Does it away me to buy and Xbox Series X over a PS5? No. I'm not a Bethesda fan, and I really don't think it has that kind of pull, consumers will still purchase a PS5 and then our base Bethesda games on Steam.

[zarbor]

Obviously you can not see beyond yourself but the reality is that Bethesda sells tons of games on both platforms. I had no intentions of buying another XBOX console but to think that the purchase of Bethesda has little to no pull on gamers apart from yourself? That's just dumb...even for a fanboy.

[ziggurcat]

I guess when you can’t beat ‘em, you just buy out all of the other studios to prevent games from ever coming to the competition.

[Fantangoooo]

Well Sony kept spider man, bought timed exclusives.. Xbox.. hold my beer..

[ajax17]

what the actual fuck

[ajax17]

Sony better buy CDPR or something

[anubusgold]

@ajax17

Sony cant afford them they own Good old games that site is worth 60 billion.

[Stanjara]

Scumbag buys a scumbag.

[Npugz7]

I personally don’t like Bethesda games but I know a lot of people do obviously. Didn’t see that coming I guess Microsoft really isn’t joking around this gen. I have a pre ordered PS5 and I’ll pickup a series X next Christmas when games actually start coming out for the Xbox.

[Challengerscatpack]

It’s the only way to go honestly and you get the best of both worlds! I pre-ordered my PS5 last week from Target and got lucky because it was before everything went to hell fast. Looking forward to a series X tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

[WelkinCole]

Lol ok. Real competition now in terms of 1st party. Hope now Sony doubles down and build more top teir dev studious that dont cost 7 billion lol

[PlayStation47]

In my opinion Bethesda and XBox seems like a perfect fit. Bethesda was the first company to follow Microsoft E3 briefing. Xbox like 4:00 est and Bethesda like 10:00 est. Howard with Phil Spencer just seems like the right fit.

[Animal Mutha 76]

People talking shit for years at MS not having the games. Well they do now. When they want to their spending power is formidable

[Father__Merrin]

they will still release on playstation

[Fantangoooo]

Case by Case basis... So dont hold your breathe for too long

[goldwyncq]

Wishful thinking

[Kavorklestein]

And they will make even more money from Sony and Nintendo gamers buying those games, so did you have a point?
We dont care about if Sony fans get to play or not, we don't get mad when Sony fans or PC fans or Nintendo fans play xbox titles.

Sony fans foam at the mouth when games are not fully exclusive tho. They almost lost their minds when they thought Demon's Souls was coming to PC.
They care about only Sony Sony Sony.

[mkis007]

Looks like they really do intend to go multiplatform .

[sensor21]

All those Playstations sold yet Microsoft makes more money annually 😎

[averagejoe26]

You're comparing a gaming division to an entire company.

Sony's gaming division makes more money than Microsoft's gaming division.

[Kavorklestein]

Not for long I think.

[QuePasa87]

Well damn!

[Lionsguard]

I have no idea how they're planning on making money by making all of these games for free. Games pass can only go so far and they've already admitted that it doesn't make them that much money. If this doesn't work out, the quality of the games are just going to drop or they'll have to keep pumping in money to float it which even for a multi-billion dollar studio, that won't last very long when investors start asking questions as to why.

[Kavorklestein]

It will make them tons of money if enough people subscribe this gen tho. If they were to hit 20 million subs a year than they would make More money in a year than selling 2 or 3 titles at 10 million copies each does.
If they can nail this, keep subs happy, and keep content fresh, then they will be the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

[AJ117]

This is nuts...kudos

[Deeloc]

I am worried now for the next 2 years for sony. Sony does not have any games to go head to head with elder scrolls 6.The only studio I see that can match elder scrolls game is final fantasy. games that are coming out from square enix games are time exclusive.at this point seeing Microsoft buying bethesda,Sony should buy Sqaure enix

[TheOtherMoon]

**The PS Fanboy has left the chat**

[Stormswrath4]

What the fuck does this mean........omg

[esherwood]

Bethesda’s been getting worse and worse with the micro transactions. Wonder how this will effect them. I’m assuming it’ll stay the same or get worse since I have a feeling gamepass is Microsoft’s Trojan horse to get people accepting mt’s.

[Kavorklestein]

People already accept them, depending on what they are.
This whole "MS has a trojan horse" analogy has been around since the 90's.
I think they spend too much money to be a simple Trojan horse.
They are going at making Xbox a powerhouse brand from all angles and all approaches and from some that most people cant even wrap their heads around.

Give em credit where it is due. They are serious about games clearly. And they are now funding and supporting dozens of good companies and giving them a new breath of life. Let's truly see what those good old developers create before bashing everything, I say.

[nommers]

Well, so long bethesda. Say high to Rare whatever they're doing now.

[DFresh]

Damn Microsoft has both Obsidian and now Bethesda.
Wow.
Oh well PC ports here I come.

[Stevonidas]

Is this what the kids refer to as a “Megaton” announcement?

[anast]

Halo 10 years from now might look awesome.

[FyBy]

So thats first step to make gamepass great (again). Thats really huge. Thats impressive move from Microsoft. Now Sonys hard times begin. And I thought Sony has next gen in own pocket.

[FyBy]

Now Sony has to buy EA or Activision Blizzard. There is no other way LOL :-)

[moriarty1889]

That is an INCREDIBLE buy for MS.

[dadano]

Everyone always only talks about Sony, don't you guys think the real Strategy is an attack on Epic and Valve/Steam. It would fit their tactics in conquering destroy and then monopolizing markets.

[stonecold3]

rather sony buy square enix out or capcom or rockstar game

[GrizToof]

I would liked to see MS take that money and open a new giant game studio of their own and make new IP's instead of doing the snobby rich kid thing just throwing money at a quick fix for your problems. Sony has been doing this to and all it does is make it harder to obtain games you have been playing for years if you only own one console. Me, i will get both if i have to and it's not a big deal to me but i still don't like this buy-fest, id rather see a create-fest.

The AAA game industry is stagnant, you can go ahead and throw some game titles at me to try and argue my point but don't bother, this is not a blanket statement, i'm just saying in general their is not a lot of new games with new and creative ideas in them coming from the multi billion dollar game studios. And MS buying Zenimax does nothing but take games out of peoples hands instead of putting new games into everyone's. It's a crap move and just to show i'm not one sided again it's also a crap move when Sony does it.

Thank god for the small independent studios out there busting their ass making some amazing games. So no Sony don't buy Square Enix or Atlus. The only studio that should be bought out by someone is Konami, because they aren't doing anything with their IP's and we gamers could use another Suikoden game. Have a great day gamers.

[Kavorklestein]

They are making games. They have spent money on hiring top talent from the industry to make some new studios from scratch as well.

[whateverman]

I like the pleas for Microsoft to consider multiplatting lol.

[Einhander1971]

I don't like there games so I couldn't care less.

[leemo19]

By far the biggest acquisition Ive seen in gaming that I can remember. Bethesda does make some of the biggest franchises in gaming, for sure a blow to Sony. I think Sony will be fine, will cont putting out their AAA exclusives. Only thing that concerns me is though, will MS go really dirty and make those games time exclusive longer than usual. With Phil saying console to console basis, seems MS going hold out on certain games and make PlayStation owner wait a awhile to play them.

[Goukira]

Doom Infinite inc?

[dcbronco]

Suddenly the idea of the exclusives is probably looking a lot less attractive. But hey. This is what Sony fans wanted. They poked a hibernating bear and now it's awake. This deal pushes game pass to 20 million subscribers. At that level that's 3 billion a year in revenue. Which buys exclusives. Sony thanks you , fanboys.

[blackblades]

You do know Sony said they still going to acquire new studios. This deal is final in Q2 2021 Sony still getting whatever for awhile. End of the day I never played either of there game but dishonored I liked and wolfenstein. Big news new but eh we'll see how things are down the road.

[blackblades]

Well obviously millions play them, I just stating my PoV and thats it for that small bit.

[Armind]

Eventually we will see new ips etc come out on ps5 last but overall not a big deal for Sony whichever way you look at it.

Sony still have a few big announcements to announce regarding studios themselves so they are far from worried.

Lots of good games to look forward to regardless of which console you go for :)

[dlocsta]

Everyone wanted to know how MS could be successful and make money with GamePass and the answer to that question has been answered, Sony. MS will continue to publish the current Bethesda line as multiplatform which means while Xbox GamePass users get it essentially free day one, they will be making money from every single copy sold for the PS or any other platform; I see you Nintendo. Boss moves.

[Seraphim]

if these are going XB exclusive that's a huge dick move by MS. They obviously have the funds to create studios and recruit talent to make exciting new games and IPs that give gamers a reason to buy a MS platform. Gamers like myself who have owned multiple XB consoles in the past but feel the lack of exclusive content doesn't make them a must own. Sony has acquired their fair share of developers yes, but largely those were developers who chose to work specifically on Playstations platform such as Insomniac, Naughty Dog & many others.

So it's one thing to lock up a developer who is specifically committed to your platform and another to lock up a publisher like ZeniMax who have several studios all working on multi-plat games. Again, there's no reason MS can't recruit their own talent and build their own studios in house. Invest in themselves, allow the talent to grow, all the talent to create unique and new IPs/games. Sure some will sound good but not sell well but when you find that one, two, three IPs that do. That's where the magic is and that's where you add weapons to your arsenal to incentivize players who feel like MS doesn't have the goods to warrant a purchase of their console. And that's perhaps the second most disappointing thing next to these possibly going exclusive. The industry has largely fallen back into it's shell of only creating known IPs and not taking risk and/or developing new studios. Without risk there is no Dead Space. Without risk Hiranobu Sagaguchi doesn't leave Square and create Lost Odyssey & Blue Dragon. Without risk the core group of Developers from Capcom never would have formed Platinum and given us Vanquish, Bayonetta, Nier, etc. And there are so many other phenomenal titles and experiences that only resulted because of the risk a major publisher or individual/s took.

[Kavorklestein]

They have the funds to make new games and IP's, AND to buy Studios left and right. Shocker, I know.

[MWH]

https://youtu.be/DV1fUwKMdA...

[P_Bomb]

Omg! You could buy an NHL, NBA and NFL team for that (with enough leftover to moonlight in the EPL and CFL)! Heck, the UFC sold for “only” 4 billion. Serious bidness! :0

[DafunkyRebel]

Wonder how Obsidian feels about Bethesda joining MS

[jwillj2k4]

These games were going to end up on game pass anyway. Not a large win for an insane amount of money...

[Bob Dole]

Anyone else excited for Quakecon2020?

[Binarycode]

Goodluck to those who enjoy those games.

It will be interesting to see if Microsoft can stop Doom coming to PS5. Etc.

[LoveSpuds]

Firstly, I completely agree that this was a bombshell and I can totally see why Xbox fans are hyped. After I saw the news I thought well, that's it, I'll definately be buying an Xbox at some point and that's the first time I have had that thought since E3 2016.

I would just caution however, that Bethesda aren't the studio they once were and many on their studios have seen their games met with lukewarm receptions or issues around quality. Before this news broke, games sites all over had been commenting on the struggles of Bethesda so for me, there is still a question mark over how this will play out. There is no question there is huge potential in this move, but I do think it will require better leadership and management of Bethesda Studios than we have seen over the past few years.

Personally, I am excited at the prospect as there is no question, this is a big powerplay by MS and most of the studios involved have the potential to make great games.....but if nothing changes at Bethesda then I don't think MS will be exploiting the purchase to its fullest.

[DVAcme]

My hope is that, with Microsoft in charge, quality control is better and we don't get the typical Bethesda glitchfests of old. Say what you want about Microsoft, but they don't half-ass it on software.

[sanskritiias]

Current Affairs for IAS is important section to read and learn for Civil Services Examination exam. Current Affairs refer to the national and international news.