There was quite a massive piece of news that came out in the video game industry not very long ago. Microsoft has started the acquisition of ZeniMax Media and ever since then, it’s been a mystery as to what will happen with various studios and IPs. If you’re not familiar with ZeniMax Media, they control several studios which will soon be transferred over to Microsoft likely at the start of 2021. Easily the biggest studio from the bunch is Bethesda.
This was an expensive deal as well. Microsoft was reported to have spent over $7 billion to purchase ZeniMax Media and while the acquisition has started, it’s likely not going to be until early 2021 before everything is finalized. At the moment, no one is sure of what will happen to these various studios and IPs. However, it’s clear that most of the focus is going towards Bethesda as they are known for more than a few video game titles.
Bethesda has the likes of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and most recently a new IP that is being developed called Starfield. We know that Starfield is in development right now and supposedly a sixth mainline installment to The Elder Scrolls franchise is coming out in the near future. However, the big question on everyone’s mind is not if these games will come out but what platforms they will be released on.
Recently, it was reported that PlayStation head Jim Ryan was asked if these games would be available on the PlayStation 5 but according to Jim Ryan, he’s not even sure. Ryan made note that this decision is not in their hands so they can only wait and see what happens. However, Microsoft has also made comments on the subject.
While not confirming or denying anything, Microsoft is seemingly interested in these games coming first to Microsoft platforms or being played best on them. It would look like Microsoft is less interested in exclusives as they are ensuring that they have a great ecosystem of platforms or services to which gamers can gain access. However, right now, it’s a waiting game to see just what happens.
