Microsoft Acquired Bethesda To Save Starfield From PlayStation

There was a time when PlayStation almost had the last laugh with Starfield!

On the second day of FTC v. Microsoft hearing, the Xbox maker revealed a major reason behind acquiring Bethesda. The renowned developer of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout is also behind this year’s highly anticipated Starfield. Interestingly, there’s a deep story involved behind this game which was unveiled during the ongoing case.

Following the events of the first day, Xbox boss Phil Spencer entered the courtroom to testify. Obviously, the FTC had plans to grill him on all fronts, especially when it comes to Call of Duty and its overall role in the deal with Activision. However, he was also asked burning questions over Starfield too!

The Xbox maker bought Bethesda after hearing Starfield would be exclusive to PlayStation!

In case anyone missed keeping track of events, Microsoft had acquired Zenimax more than two years ago. It’s the parent company of Bethesda studio. On the second day of the legal case between FTC and the Xbox maker, Phil Spencer was asked about this specific acquisition in length.

The head of gaming at Microsoft revealed that the company had to buy Zenimax in order to prevent Sony from making Starfield a PlayStation exclusive. “When we acquired ZeniMax one of the impetus for that is that Sony had done a deal for Deathloop and Ghostwire… to pay Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox,” Spencer told the Judge.

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According to what he told in the courtroom, Microsoft had heard that “Starfield was potentially also going to end up skipping Xbox”. That’s when the company decided to acquire Zenimax completely. “We can’t be in a position as a third-place console where we fall further behind on our content ownership so we’ve had to secure content to remain viable in the business.”

For those who are not aware about the numbers, Bethesda’s parent company was bought for $7.5 billion. At the time of closing the deal, Microsoft had promised Xbox and PC exclusives. Well speaking of the releases, it has so far launched Redfall. Another exclusive in Starfield is set to come out on September 6, 2023. Oh, and don’t forget MachineGames’ Indian Jones project. It’s, too, now an Xbox exclusive.

What are your predictions for the case between FTC and Microsoft? Let us know in the comments down below.

Source: The Verge

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