Microsoft recently announced the acquisition of Bethesda Softworks' parent company - ZeniMax Media. ZeniMax is the creator of some of the most popular gaming titles in recent history, including Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom and the Fallout series. The $7.5 billion deal, which is second in value only to Tencent’s $8.6 billion acquisition of Supercell, is expected to have a large impact on Sony as well.
Until now, Microsoft hadn’t been able to compete with Sony when it came to exclusive titles. The PS4 had a range of popular exclusives such as Spider Man, God of War, and the Unchartered series. Although the Xbox did have the odd exclusive game, such as Halo and Sea of thieves, Sony was, far and away, the leader in this regard. With Microsoft’s new announcement though, that could all be set to change.
'XBox is now the Netflix for Games': Why Microsoft & Xbox deal could spell doom for Sony's PS5
In one single move, Microsoft has become the exclusive owner of some incredibly popular gaming titles. For the time being, it appears as if Microsoft intends to adhere to all existing commitments that Bethesda had in place with Sony.
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Phil Spencer - Vice President of gaming at Microsoft, has confirmed that future Bethesda games will be released to other platforms on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. While this does not necessarily mean that they will be Xbox-exclusive, Sony will undoubtedly be concerned. Microsoft has flexed their financial muscles by making this move, and they will be looking to add value to their Game Pass program.
Furthermore, making future Bethesda games available to other platforms is not such a bad idea. A move of this sort will ensure that Microsoft remains in the good books of gamers across platforms. This will be a power move, as Sony has a plethora of titles that aren’t currently available on Xbox.
Moreover, the Game Pass subscription service will ensure that Bethesda games are effectively free on Xbox, which will further add to its value. At the same time, Microsoft will continue to gain revenue from the sales of Bethesda games on other platforms as well
As things stand, no matter what happens in the coming months, Microsoft’s purchase of ZeniMax media is sure to cause problems for Sony’s PS5. You can watch gameranx's video on the matter below.
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