Future Bethesda Games Will Be “First or Better or Best” on Xbox, Says Microsoft CFO

Microsoft sent the entire world into a state of frenzy when it announced the acquisition of ZeniMax Media. This decision promised to enhance the Xbox ecosystem drastically. More importantly, the deal gave a timely boost to Xbox in its competition against Sony’s PlayStation, just prior to launch.

These plans are beginning to take shape already as Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart spoke on the console’s strategy to incorporate Bethesda in its future plans.

Tim, speaking at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment virtual conference, shed more light on the deal which will transform Bethesda into a first-parent publishing company. He said Bethesda games will be “first or better or best” for Xbox as and when they roll out.

The Bethesda acquisition has a lot in store for Xbox patrons

Phil Spencer had earlier announced that Bethesda will continue to honor its previous deals. This essentially means that Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo will make their way to the PS5 as planned.

“What we’ll do in the long run is we don’t have intentions of just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise,” said Tim. “But what we want is we want that content, in the long run, to be first or better or best or pick your differentiated experience, on our platforms. We will want Bethesda content to show up the best as — on our platforms.”

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Stuart clearly stated that Microsoft doesn’t plan on pulling the plug on other platforms. But, evidently, the Xbox will be the nucleus of the acquisition and the decisions taken will prioritize the console over its rivals.

Microsoft has been marketing its Game Pass for months now. This is because of its concrete system of backward compatibility that allows players to access a wide range of games for a mere $1 a month. Plus, the Bethesda acquisition adds an exquisite range of titles to the Game Pass that makes it even more alluring.

Will the acquisition benefit the competitors?

Tim clearly states that the games released will go through several tweaks. It is possible that they might be available on the Xbox ‘first’. It is also possible that they might have additions making them ‘better’ for the Xbox ecosystem.

Microsoft had announced earlier that they would treat the games on a ‘case by case’ basis. This raises a lot of questions, but also raises the possibility of the titles being available for other platforms. We’ll have to wait for the ink to dry out to know more. Stay tuned!