Why Microsoft Buying Bethesda Spells Bad News for Sony

The news of Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media Inc. came as a pleasant surprise to some, and as a shock to many others. No prizes for guessing that the PlayStation fans were most shocked and disappointed with it. This acquisition adds nine more studios to Xbox’s arsenal, taking its tally up to 23. That is almost 10 more than what Sony has. Clearly, this is a worrying situation for the Japanese tech giant.

For instance, the immediate concern for Sony was its exclusivity deal with Arkane and Tango for their game,s Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. But Microsoft has confirmed that it will honor the studios’ agreement with Sony. Although, there is a much bigger ploy here as Microsoft might be looking to end the ‘console war’ for good.

It is not a secret that Phil Spencer and Co. have changed Xbox’s strategy completely. In an interview with The Washington Post, Phil had mentioned, “We should be driven to help gaming as an industry grow, for creators to take the biggest risks they can. When a great game comes out, we should applaud it, whether it’s for PC, or PlayStation or on a Switch.”

This basically points towards the fact that Xbox is no longer interested in the ‘console war’ and that the Xbox Series X and S are no longer at the heart of its new strategy. It is the Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud that will change the industry forever.

Microsoft is focusing on Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud

The Game Pass service brings a plethora of different games to Xbox with a monthly subscription fee. Along with games from Xbox studios, it will now include games from EA Play, and the entire library of games that comes along with the Bethesda acquisition.

Additionally, with Project xCloud in the picture, subscribers can play all these games on their handheld devices. This Netflix-esque subscription service for gaming is Microsoft’s vision for the future, and it seems they will change the way the industry functions.

Also Read: Bethesda’s Todd Howard Opens Up on Microsoft Deal

So far, Sony has managed to sell more consoles than Xbox by sticking to the age-old console-first approach. The Japanese console-giant still believes in providing great exclusives for PlayStation to incentivize its consumers even further.

But this still means that their prime focus is getting more console sales, as opposed to Xbox’s game-focused strategy. This could be harmful in the long run, considering PlayStation still wants users to spend big bucks on their titles and not expect a subscription model.

Phil Spencer & Co want to end the ‘console war’ for good

Xbox has already started taking steps towards a sustainable Game Pass model, considering it already has more than 15 million subscribers. The inclusion of Bethesda games in the service could prove to be a stroke of genius in this strategy. With this approach, Microsoft has basically put the consumers in a fix.

On one hand, there are PlayStation exclusives and on the other, Xbox’s subscription model offers cheaper gaming options. This could eventually take the focus off the question, “Which company sold more consoles?” and render Sony’s console-first approach useless.

Eventually, the consumers may even go ahead and buy both the consoles and there will be no more ‘console war’ to look out for. This is where Sony’s approach could become obsolete and force them to adopt a different strategy.

Making gaming more accessible to everyone is what Microsoft believes in, and they are willing to take extraordinary measures to make that happen. Sooner or later, Sony will have to adopt a similar approach or risk lagging behind in the race. The future of gaming is better accessibility for everyone, and Xbox is keen on providing just that.