Phil Spencer decided Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 would be Xbox exclusives in 2021-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

Bethesda’s future was decided years ago (Picture: Microsoft)

The decision not to release any new Bethesda games on PS5 came the same year Microsoft bought the publisher and it came from the top…

The final day of Microsoft’s court battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently ongoing in New York City, a spectacle that has so far seen Sony accidently leaking all its secrets to the public and Activision spilling the beans on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Arguably the biggest revelation of the week was an email from Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines, which revealed that the decision to make all new Bethesda games Xbox exclusives was one that was forced upon the publisher by Microsoft.

Now we know exactly who made the decision and when: Phil Spencer eight months after Microsoft completed their acquisition. We also know it includes all Bethesda games too, not just new IP.

The revelation came from messages between Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart and Xbox Games Studio head Matt Booty in November 2021, talking about a monthly business review meeting with Xbox and ZeniMax.

During this meeting, Xbox boss Phil Spencer had apparently decided to make all ZeniMax games exclusive and not just new IP.

Stuart was clearly surprised by this and says, ‘All games going forward? Not just new IP but all games going forward? Wow.’

Booty then replies: ‘Phil told them all titles going forward, Xbox exclusive.’

Stuart’s surprise is no doubt because this means that The Elder Scrolls and Fallout will also now become Xbox console exclusives.

Being the money guy, he then voices concern that this will eat into their profits, since it’s apparently not how the deal was originally planned.

The FTC has repeatedly referenced the Bethesda deal as proof that Microsoft wants to make all Activision Blizzard games Xbox exclusives, and will do so as soon as everyone’s backs are turned.

Based on this new information, it’s certainly hard to understand why they would want all Bethesda games to be exclusives but seemingly none of Activision Blizzard’s games, even with Microsoft’s dubious claims that it doesn’t like exclusives.

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The evidence also seems to confirm, once and for all, that The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 will end up as Xbox console exclusives, despite both series previously having been multiformat.

Since both are at least five years out that could change, but the only reason there’s any ambiguity about Bethesda’s general stance on exclusivity is that they haven’t released an entry in an existing franchise since Microsoft bought them – just the likes of Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, and the upcoming Starfield.

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