Bethesda games will be exclusive ‘on platforms where Game Pass exists,’ says Xbox head

One of the most highly debated topics following the $7.5 billion Microsoft/ZeniMax Media merger regards the exclusivity of upcoming flagship titles; that is, will big name games such as Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield or future installments of Doom be available only for the Xbox or is the allure of revenue from making said titles available for the Playstation consoles too good to pass up?

Although Xbox chief financial officer has previously stated that content wouldn’t be pulled from other consoles post merger, thanks to a recent “Bethesda joins Xbox” Official Roundtable livestream, and commentary from Xbox head Phil Spencer therein, we now have a much more definitive answer regarding what the merger will mean for Bethesda game exclusivity on the Xbox.

“So obviously, I can’t sit here and say every Bethesda game is exclusive, because we know that’s not true,” Spencer explained in the Roundtable. “[T]here’s contractual obligations that we’re gonna see through as we always do in every one of these instances. We have games that exist on other platforms, and we’re gonna go support those games on the platforms they’re on. There’s communities of players, we love those communities, and we’ll continue to invest in them. And even in the future, there might be things that have their contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we’ll go do.”

Microsoft/ZeniMax

Among the contractual obligations and support for games on other platforms however, Spencer made it clear that the ZeniMax merger was made with the idea of “great exclusives games” for Xbox players in mind.

“But, if you’re an Xbox customer,” Spencer continued, “the thing I want you to know is this is about delivering great exclusive games for you, that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists. And that’s our goal, that’s why we’re doing this, that’s the root of this partnership that we’re building, and the creative capability we will be able to bring to market for Xbox customers is gonna be the best it’s ever been for Xbox after we’re done here.”

While there is still a scintilla of ambiguity to the statement “on platforms where Game Pass exists,” as there’s always the chance hell could freeze over and Game Pass could be available on Nintendo Switch or even Playstation 5 consoles in some bizarro world turn of events, the remarks made by Spencer concerning “if you’re an Xbox customer” and “delivering great exclusive games for you” is about as clear cut an indicator that ZeniMax and Bethesda games will be exclusive for the Xbox going forward.

What do you think of the affirmation that Bethesda games will be exclusive for “platforms where Game Pass exists” in the future? Sound off in the comments.