Microsoft to host a joint Xbox and Bethesda conference to discuss future projects

What you need to know

• Xbox Game Studios and Zenimax Media (parent of Bethesda Softworks) recently joined forces in a massive acquisition by Microsoft.
• In a recent interview, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty shared some details about how this new partnership will work.
• He also revealed that Xbox and Bethesda are planning a joint conference to discuss future projects in the next few weeks.
• Bethesda and other studios will maintain full creative freedom, but the objective is for everything to head to Xbox Game Pass day one.

One of the biggest announcements of the last year was the conclusion to Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax Media, which included studios like Bethesda Softworks, Arkane Studios, and much more. Recently, the director of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty conducted an interview with Le Figaro that revealed some fascinating new information about the newly formed partnership between Bethesda and Xbox. The most exciting of which includes the news that Bethesda and Xbox will host a joint conference during the next few weeks to discuss future projects from Bethesda and other related studios.

Hopefully, we'll learn more about what everyone at Bethesda is working on, and get more clarification about how that will work with Xbox (Starfield, anyone?). There's no set date for this conference, but it's probably not a coincidence that E3 2021 is right around the corner now.

Microsoft's goal in relation to Bethesda and the other studios acquired under Zenimax is to allow them full creative freedom, just like Xbox Game Studios. Bethesda, however, will even retain its entire publishing branch, including marketing, sales, communication, and more. In many ways, life does not change for Bethesda under the Xbox banner. And, while the objective is for all future Bethesda projects to feature on Xbox Game Pass day one, Microsoft does not want their studios to "make games for Xbox Game Pass" similar to how Netflix develops original content based on data and trends.

It's also worth mentioning that, apparently, Zenimax and Bethesda president James Leder reports directly to Xbox head Phil Spencer, highlighting once again that Bethesda is a little different than Xbox Game Studios.

Many older Bethesda games recently joined Xbox Game Pass and even gained FPS Boost support, instantly making games like Prey some of the best games on Xbox Game Pass.