Xbox boss: Microsoft’s Bethesda deal was all about exclusive games for Game Pass

Microsoft completed its $ 7.5 billion Bethesda acquisition earlier this week, initially hinting that some new titles will be exclusively for Xbox and PC gamers in the future. That some language has left some room for maneuver for the possibility that future Bethesda titles may appear on Sony’s PlayStation 5, Nintendo’s Switch or elsewhere. Now Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer makes it very clear why the company paid $ 7.5 billion for Bethesda: Xbox Game Pass.

Spencer said at a Bethesda and Xbox roundtable today that Xbox Game Pass is at the heart of this Bethesda deal. “If you’re an Xbox customer, I want to know that it’s about delivering amazing exclusive games that are shipped on platforms where Game Pass exists,” Spencer said. “That’s our goal, that’s why we do it, that’s the root of this partnership we are building.”

This is not a surprising recognition, as it’s clear that Microsoft has prepared for a different kind of Xbox future with its Xbox Game Pass entry. But hearing it directly from the head of Xbox makes it even clearer that Xbox Game Pass is the true next-generation Xbox from Microsoft.

This does not mean that Bethesda games will suddenly disappear from other platforms. In fact, it is the opposite. “There are contractual obligations that we are going to fulfill, as we always do in all these cases,” says Spencer. ‘We have games that exist on other platforms, and we’re going to support the games on the platforms. There are communities of players and we love those communities and we will continue to invest in them. ”

Microsoft and Bethesda have only recently approved the agreement, so it’s too early for any announcement of games, but there are still questions about Bethesda’s new and upcoming Starfield title and even the just-announced Indiana Jones game. Will it both be exclusive to Xbox and PC? We simply do not know yet. Spencer did mention that ‘even in the future there will be things with contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we are going to do’, so there could possibly new Bethesda games appearing on non-Microsoft platforms.

What is clear is that the long-term goal is for Bethesda to create exclusive games that will only be available on platforms that support Xbox Game Pass. Right now, it’s Xbox consoles, Windows computers, Android phones and soon iOS devices via the Internet.

Here’s Spencer’s full statement on Bethesda exclusivity:

So of course I can not sit here and say that every Bethesda game is exclusive, because we know that is not true. There are contractual obligations that we are going to fulfill, as we always do in all these cases. We have games that exist on other platforms, and we are going to support the games on the platforms they are on. There are players from communities, and we love those communities, and we will continue to invest in them. And even in the future, there may be things that have contractual stuff, or legacy on different platforms that we are going to do. But if you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is that it’s about delivering fantastic exclusive games shipped on platforms where Game Pass exists. That’s our goal, that’s why we do it, that’s the root of this partnership we build.