In case you somehow missed it, the big news in the gaming world this morning is all about Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion in cash. The acquisition, which is expected to close in the second half of 2021’s fiscal year, bumps Xbox‘s first-party creative studios from 15 to 23 total, and brings numerous popular franchises under the company’s control like Doom, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls. Due to the nature of this deal, that also includes two upcoming PlayStation 5 timed-exclusive video games: Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo. While the acquisition might have thrown these deals into question, it would appear that Xbox will honor the previous agreements.
According to an interview from Bloomberg this morning with Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, the publishing agreement for neither of these upcoming video games has changed. For now, Deathloop (from what is now Xbox-owned Arkane Studios) and GhostWire: Tokyo (from what is now Xbox-owned Tango Gameworks) will continue to release, as expected, as timed exclusives for the PlayStation 5.
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To answer the question everyone is asking: Phil Spencer tells @dinabass that Xbox plans to honor the PS5 exclusivity commitment for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Future Bethesda games will be on Xbox, PC, and “other consoles on a case by case basis.” https://t.co/Agyttr53LO
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) September 21, 2020
That doesn’t mean Bethesda’s big games will necessarily release for the PlayStation 5 in the future, however. Starfield, for example, is definitely coming to the Xbox and PC. As for whether that makes the jump to PlayStation… “We’ll take other consoles on a case-by-case basis,” said Spencer.
Deathloop, for what it is worth, was recently delayed to Q2 2021. GhostWire: Tokyo is also set to release in 2021. It seems reasonable to expect that both will arrive on the Xbox Series X/S six months to a year after releasing on PlayStation 5. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are both set to launch on November 10th for $499 and $299, respectively. Pre-orders are expected to go live tomorrow morning, September 22nd. You can check out all of our previous coverage of Xbox right here.
What do you think of this news? Are you still interested in picking up both titles for the PlayStation 5? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!
