Bethesda/Microsoft Exclusivity Predictions

When it comes to the now-official ZeniMax acquisition for Microsoft, Bethesda is the real prized goose. The studio publishes some of the most popular games of the past 20 years and has some heavy hitters on the way. Microsoft is clear about exclusivity being on a case-by-case basis. Why not take some time to predict what exclusivity plan is going to make the most sense for Microsoft? It’s all conjecture, but this is what I think is going to happen.

Firstly, Fallout will likely not go exclusive, entirely. I think the mainline Fallout franchise would be best off on all platforms possible. That said, cult-favorite New Vegas is begging for a sequel. The original developer of that game, Obsidian, is under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, so an exclusive return to New Vegas could be a really enticing offer for diehard fans of the franchise.

Starfield, the long-awaited sci-fi adventure from Bethesda, will also likely stay non-exclusive as well. Kicking off a new IP on as many consoles as possible makes the most sense. You don’t have the draw of familiarity like you do with Fallout. Plus, the game was likely in development for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S already. Why not just finish this one out and let everyone play it?

The real dark horse is The Elder Scrolls. There are two paths the series has taken: the mainline route last visited in Skyrim. The other route, The Elder Scrolls Online, should stay available for everyone. That said, I think the most likely move for TES VI is to make it exclusive. It’s an impactful enough title that people will find a way over to the Xbox Series ecosystem to play it. For Sony fans, an Xbox Series S with Game Pass could make a lot of sense, especially at $299 USD.

Have a prediction for exclusivity and the newly acquired Bethesda library? Let us know in the comments!