Yesterday, Microsoft dropped a bombshell, announcing that it had acquired Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media in a deal worth US$7.5 billion dollars.
The…fallout…from the announcement has seen gamers all over the internet question what this means for future Bethesda games. Phil Spencer has said that Xbox will honour timed PS5 exclusivity deals for Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, while future games will be decided on a “case-by-case basis.”
One of those games is Starfield, the next big open-world RPG from Fallout and Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda Softworks, which according to reports could have become a timed PlayStation exclusive had Microsoft and ZeniMax not struck a deal. However, as a result of Microsoft’s acquisition, the chances of the opposite happening – the game being a Microsoft exclusive – is very real. In fact, it’s a sure thing according to reliable Xbox insider and Windows Central editor Jez Corden (he did break the Xbox Series X and S price and release news).
Replying on Twitter, Corden says that he has “no idea why people think this will come to PS5,” which suggests that a lot of PlayStation owners may need to look at alternate ways to play the sci-fi RPG.
It will be.
— Jez (@JezCorden) September 22, 2020
While Corden is usually a reliable source, until we hear it from Phil Spencer or Microsoft directly, I’d hold off on making contingency plans just yet.
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts
