Microsoft Will Share Bethesda, but Wants the Best Stuff for Itself

Microsoft Will Share Bethesda, but Wants the Best Stuff for Itself

A logical way to move forward.

pocru by pocru on Nov 17, 2020 @ 06:15 AM (Staff Bios)
Comment(s)
While Microsoft's purchase of Zenimax and Bethesda isn't unprecedented -- bigger companies have been purchased for larger sums -- the way they've handled it certainly has been. In the past, it was generally assumed and accepted that once a studio was bought by one of the big three console manufacturers, all their future content would be exclusive to their respective consoles. However, Bethesda has so much name recognition, so many different games under their belt, and so much... well, love from the community, that the idea of them ever going exclusive to console has been toxic in gamer's minds.

Microsoft seems to know that, and so far hasn't committed to any notions of exclusivity, merely saying that they would take it by a game-by-game basis. That said, in a talk at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment conference, Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart actually shared more specific information about Microsoft's plans with Bethesda going forward.

Namely, that while Microsoft has no intention of depriving Nintendo or Sony of content, they still want to have a competitive edge over them.

"We highly encourage cross-platform play, simply from this landscape of, if it's good for the gaming ecosystem, it's good for us, classic rising tide lifts all boats... what we want is we want that content, in the long run, to be either first or better or best or pick your differentiated experience, on our platforms. We will want Bethesda content to show up the best as—on our platforms... If you think about something like Game Pass, if it shows up best in Game Pass, that's what we want to see, and we want to drive our Game Pass subscriber base through that Bethesda pipeline."


Their job is mostly done for them, to be honest. Bethesda games, specifically the ones they're known for, like Fallout and Skyrim, have always thrived largely on the backs of the modding community, which is a PC -- and thus, Microsoft -- focused-venture. But to extend that to Bethesda's other, less mod-reliant offerings still sounds like a smart yet fair way of moving forward.

I wouldn't hold my breath on Nintendo adopting that strategy anytime soon, though.

Comments

Comment on this Article in our Forum

More GamerzUnite News

Are We Being Controlled in a PC Game by Aliens?

Are We Being Controlled in a PC Game by Aliens?

New UFO Film proposes we might!

February 19 @ 02:23 PM
Explore an Eerie Archipelago in Dredge

Explore an Eerie Archipelago in Dredge

A fishing adventure gone bad...

February 11 @ 03:07 PM
Automation Goes Too Far in The Last Worker

Automation Goes Too Far in The Last Worker

A bleak future for anyone looking for a job...

September 2 @ 01:11 AM
Alien Infestation takes over in From Space

Alien Infestation takes over in From Space

Liberate the Earth in this fun new action-shooter...

August 27 @ 09:50 PM
August 27 @ 09:14 PM
Join GamerzUnite and Unite with other Gamerz.
A Piece of Our Mind

Every Single Detail We Found in the Starfield Gameplay Reveal

Video Games Shouldn't Need Wiki Pages

PopSlinger Review: It Goes Down Rough, Really Rough

Halo: Infinite Highlights Everything Wrong with Gaming Today

Echo Generation Review: Not Exactly a Blockbuster