Xbox aquires Zenimax/Bethesda

[Scarlett.]

[Toy Soldier]

Luckily I play pretty much anything "first person" on PC anyway, but this is a pretty big blow for Sony surely?

[Dezzy]

Xbox are finally doing something, huh?

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out tbh, I'll be surprised if the games remain exclusive to Microsoft consoles as it's had a torrid time of selling exclusives in recent years that aren't Gears or Halo.

With the PS5 likely to dominate like the PS4 did, and with Microsoft unbothered about winning the console war this time around, I think the major franchises like Elder Scrolls and Fallout will probably remain multi-platform releases since I reckon Microsoft will earn more money that way.

[Ramsay]

Next elder scrolls day one game pass

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Xbox are finally doing something, huh?

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out tbh, I'll be surprised if the games remain exclusive to Microsoft consoles as it's had a torrid time of selling exclusives in recent years that aren't Gears or Halo.

With the PS5 likely to dominate like the PS4 did, and with Microsoft unbothered about winning the console war this time around, I think the major franchises like Elder Scrolls and Fallout will probably remain multi-platform releases since I reckon Microsoft will earn more money that way.

Timed exclusives are always a possibility... which I personally am not a fan of, especially as a fan of narrative-driven games, and the huge likelihood of spoilers on release.

[Black Dagger]

Massive news. Theyre making strides this gen.

Still expect PlayStation to dominate in Asia and Europe like usual but happy that Microsoft are actually challenging them.

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Timed exclusives are always a possibility... which I personally am not a fan of, especially as a fan of narrative-driven games, and the huge likelihood of spoilers on release.

Speaking of which, Microsoft are now publising two timed PS5 exclusives with this purchase

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Ramsay

Next elder scrolls day one game pass

I'd forgotten about Game Pass, if they put Bethesda stuff on there on release it'll be a no-brainer. I keep forgetting that you can get in on PC, even though I was subbed for a while. In fact even the library they have now is tempting for £8 a month... it was pretty bare when I had it a year+ back but there's quite a bit more on there now.

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Timed exclusives are always a possibility... which I personally am not a fan of, especially as a fan of narrative-driven games, and the huge likelihood of spoilers on release.

It's possible but even something like that has worked out poorly for devs that have released timed exclusives on Xbox before, most notably was Rise of the Tomb Raider which was a complete flop in it's exclusive period, and that was coming off the back of a very popular rebooted Tomb Raider game.

I think with Bethesda's mega franchises, Microsoft will probably give them the Minecraft treatment and realise that it's more profitable to have them be multi-platform. I can see franchises like The Evil Within potentially becoming Xbox exclusives and being built up as an important franchise for Microsoft, especially considering how Sony have almost certainly acquired Silent Hill for the PS5. Dishonored and Wolfenstein would likely be good fits for exclusivity as well, potentially even Doom if Microsoft are feeling daring.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

It's possible but even something like that has worked out poorly for devs that have released timed exclusives on Xbox before, most notably was Rise of the Tomb Raider which was a complete flop in it's exclusive period, and that was coming off the back of a very popular rebooted Tomb Raider game.

I think with Bethesda's mega franchises, Microsoft will probably give them the Minecraft treatment and realise that it's more profitable to have them be multi-platform. I can see franchises like The Evil Within potentially becoming Xbox exclusives and being built up as an important franchise for Microsoft, especially considering how Sony have almost certainly acquired Silent Hill for the PS5. Dishonored and Wolfenstein would likely be good fits for exclusivity as well, potentially even Doom if Microsoft are feeling daring.

There is quite a strong correlation between Xbox Loyalty and First Person Shooters I think, going back to ye olde "everyone plays CoD on 360" days so it is a good fit in that sense. Though obviously, as a member of the PC master race, I can't condone playing a first-person game with anything other than Keyboard and Mouse, so... .

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

There is quite a strong correlation between Xbox Loyalty and First Person Shooters I think, going back to ye olde "everyone plays CoD on 360" days so it is a good fit in that sense. Though obviously, as a member of the PC master race, I can't condone playing a first-person game with anything other than Keyboard and Mouse, so... .

Yeah, that's my thought pattern as well, with the exception of Fallout and Elder Scrolls (Doom is 50/50 I think), I think Bethesda's First person franchises will all likely be exclusives.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Does this mean the games won’t release at all on PS?

Idk how it works

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Does this mean the games won’t release at all on PS?

Idk how it works

It's unknown yet, I think it's likely that the bigger franchises won't be exclusive though, since some Microsoft properties are multi-platform.

[Shaun]

Wasn't one of the Dishonoreds a PS+ game last year? I wouldn't have thought exclusivity for Xbox would be an option with that in the PS library.

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by Shaun

Wasn't one of the Dishonoreds a PS+ game last year? I wouldn't have thought exclusivity for Xbox would be an option with that in the PS library.

It won't affect released games, if any games are exclusive it'll be ones released going forward. Like, they bought The Outer Worlds' developer before the game released but it still released on all the platforms.

It likely won't affect ongoing games like Elder Scrolls online either.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Does this mean the games won’t release at all on PS?

Idk how it works

Build yourself a gaming PC you will love it. It's a ridiculously expensive hobby and you will get hooked on the endorphin surge of new parts arriving in the post and end up spending literally all of your spare money on it ... ...

... Actually don't do it, I spend £80 on a mouse last month 'cos it has RGB lights that you can make flash in time with in-game music. It is a DISEASE.

Originally Posted by Shaun

Wasn't one of the Dishonoreds a PS+ game last year? I wouldn't have thought exclusivity for Xbox would be an option with that in the PS library.

Usually it would only affect new releases, not things that are already published... so it wouldn't necessarily be a problem.

To be honest it probably depends on how it affects console sales after the first couple of releases. If exclusivity looks to be driving Xbox sales then they may well stick with it. If it doesn't make much difference (and especially if PS5 ends up with a large market share, which I think seems likely looking at buyer intention) then I think they'll publish most games multi-platform. Especially as the generation progresses.

[Ramsay]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I'd forgotten about Game Pass, if they put Bethesda stuff on there on release it'll be a no-brainer. I keep forgetting that you can get in on PC, even though I was subbed for a while. In fact even the library they have now is tempting for £8 a month... it was pretty bare when I had it a year+ back but there's quite a bit more on there now.

It's really the best deal in gaming right now. They're adding EA Access to it in a few months too

[Scarlett.]

Microsoft owns Mojang, but released Minecraft Dungeons on PS4 this year

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Scarlett.

Microsoft owns Mojang, but released Minecraft Dungeons on PS4 this year

Minecraft is a bit of a "special case" though, with crossplay being available on all platforms etc. Me, my wife and my daughter can play Minecraft multiplayer on PC, PS4 and Switch which is an odd but very welcome experience. Even if logging into a LIVE account via PS4/Switch is clunky and a pain in the arse.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

[Scarlett.]

[Dezzy]

Originally Posted by Scarlett.

As expected. I can't imagine Fallout and Elder Scrolls ever being fully exclusive since I honestly don't know if you can do a Triple A project like that and release it on Xbox and turn a profit if you don't also indulge what will likely be a vast PS5 audience.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Honestly the bugs are PART of those games and no one wants this . Would Skyrim have been Skyrim if there weren't mammoths falling from the sky and dragons flying backwards in the first release?