Microsoft announced last year that ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary Bethesda Softworks would be acquired by the corporation and included in its line of Xbox Game Studios in 2021. Outside the general announcement of the acquisition, however, the Xbox team did not say much about what this change will mean moving forward for all parties. That said, it looks like this silence will end soon.
Mentioned by GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb in the latest GamesBeat Decides podcast, Xbox is planning to host an event of some kind related to Bethesda in the near future. Grubb says that this will be one of the landmark events that Xbox has until E3 2021. “Once the deal is closed, they will talk about it in style. I don’t know if it will be like a full Direct event, but they will take note of it, talk about it a lot and explain what it means to everyone, ”explained Grubb. “We expect that to happen in mid-March.”
The reason Xbox hasn’t yet made a presentation like this is because, as Grubb mentioned, the deal to acquire Bethesda has not yet formally taken place. Although the announcement of the intention to acquire the publisher was made last year, the deal will only close for a few more weeks. As such, Microsoft had to remain a little quiet about what it intends to do with Bethesda and its studios, or else it would be breaking the law.
While we still don’t know exactly what Xbox plans to do with Bethesda, one of the biggest questions for many fans is how the exclusives will work. Games previously announced as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 which was thought to be reaching all platforms in the future (including PlayStation), could now be linked to Xbox and PC only. The Xbox team has not provided any specifications on how it will handle exclusives going forward, and it says that each game will be treated on a case-by-case basis. This upcoming event could perhaps shed more light on the situation for the future.
Obviously, if we hear anything about this showcase, it should be relatively soon. As such, we will be sure to keep you posted here on ComicBook.com if there is something officially announced.
So, what would you like to hear at a possible Xbox event dedicated to Bethesda? Be sure to let me know in the comments or on Twitter at @ MooreMan12.