Microsoft officially welcomes Bethesda to the Xbox family, some new titles to be Xbox exclusive

By Samuel Tolbert
published

The Xbox first-party studios family now encompasses 23 different studios.

Bethesda Xbox
Bethesda Xbox (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft announced its intention to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, in September 2020.
  • The deal has been finalized and Bethesda Softworks is now Xbox first-party.
  • More Bethesda games are coming to Xbox Game Pass this week.
  • Some future Bethesda titles will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.

We recently learned that the deal for Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, had been approved by the EU. Now, the deal is completely done and Bethesda has joined Xbox, bringing Xbox to 23 first-party studios across Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. To celebrate the occasion, Bethesda shared a video on the team's journey to where it is now, which you can see below.

In a statement on Xbox Wire (opens in new tab), Head of Xbox Phil Spencer shared that moving forward, some of Bethesda's games will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players, though exact titles were not named, so it's unclear if this refers to games like Starfield or yet-unknown games.

Additionally, Spencer shared that more Bethesda games will be joining Xbox Game Pass in the near future. Spencer also took time to honor the memory of ZeniMax Media co-founder Robert A. Altman, who recently passed away.

Pete Hines, SVP of Marketing at Bethesda Softworks, also shared some thoughts on the closure of the deal, stating that there will not be any "landmark announcements" for now but that the teams are just "getting started together."

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Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

4 Comments
  • New IPs: Exclusive
    Existing IPs: Case by case basis
  • That would make sense. They have to at least keep the best for their platform for a time
  • Well if they don't leverage their exclusives like their competitors they're playing too soft.
  • Exclusive content doesn't make sense. Why would a company that's sole purpose is to make a profit, limit their audience therefore limiting profit. I understand it is to push someone towards a certain platform, but it is still limiting sales and profit.