One of the largest concerns regarding the upcoming Xbox acquisition for Activision Blizzard is accounting for which titles will remain multiplatform and what are to be only for Xbox. Already, Microsoft has issued that the deal will stand to provide Call of Duty similar to how Minecraft is already for Microsoft; a multiplatform venture. Even more, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty did lay out listing major IPs wouldn’t be exclusive, but other properties could.
However, that appeared to change after an arrangement was made with Sony Interactive Entertainment. In that, the new agreement between both Xbox & PlayStation establishes only for Call of Duty to ship for all consoles. But, other franchises & series are on a different table entirely. Much of how Microsoft’s deals have been questioned during the ongoing Activision Blizzard deal with even the FTC using the Bethesda purchase as ammo to shoot down the current acquisition.
From a new email that was submitted during the previous Microsoft v. FTC case, it reveals Microsoft’s pursuit for the deal outright. Although there has been conversations of approaching releases “case-by-case”, the deal according to Phil Spencer reveals it is to properly platform Xbox’s ecosystem. You can view the email in the image below:
Of course, the email from Spencer comments on the direct approach Microsoft is taking to fully benefit from the $8 billion purchase. In a separate email in the document, corporate vice president Sarah Bond also elaborates on working to make this profitable for Xbox. “Taking an integrated view on how our investments drive revenue is a critical operational muscle that we will need to get laser focused on as we scale.”
Furthermore, there is a separate document which shares exchanges between executives in an internal private chat revealing that the intent is for some if not all Xbox-acquired Bethesda titles to go completely exclusive. In that, Xbox senior finance director Jamie Lawver in an exchange with Microsoft CEO confirms that ‘all’ games will be unique to Xbox.
As for the current state of Bethesda, this has proven to be the case with releases including Redfall & Starfield so far. And looking ahead, the same appears to be underway for The Elder Scrolls VI as well. In that, the Bethesda RPG appears to not be launching for PlayStation 5. You can read the full report by heading here.
Do you think Microsoft’s handling of Bethesda will reflect the same for Activision Blizzard?