PS5 players won't get future Bethesda games

[silvagti]

Elder Scrolls 6 being on MS only is pretty big.

Yeah, that game is going to be a system seller that I'm sure many who don't own a pc would buy an Xbox to play it and Microsoft know this.

I'm sure most of the folk on this forum are enthusiasts and will either own a gaming pc or not be overly bothered by the idea of spending £200 on an Xbox series S to play Elder Scrolls. Disappointing for the Playstation casual gamers though.

What annoys me most isn't so much that it's happened but that when Microsoft bought Bethesda they specifically said the games wouldn't be exclusive to Microsoft platforms. It didn't take them long to break that promise.

 

[robj20]

It's the reason I stick with PC and a PlayStation, all bases covered.
Luckily as well Elderscrolls and Fallout suit being played on PC.

 

[CHokKA]

Yeah, that game is going to be a system seller that I'm sure many who don't own a pc would buy an Xbox to play it and Microsoft know this.

I'm sure most of the folk on this forum are enthusiasts and will either own a gaming pc or not be overly bothered by the idea of spending £200 on an Xbox series S to play Elder Scrolls. Disappointing for the Playstation casual gamers though.

What annoys me most isn't so much that it's happened but that when Microsoft bought Bethesda they specifically said the games wouldn't be exclusive to Microsoft platforms. It didn't take them long to break that promise.

When did they promise that? They didn't give any specifics other than existing deals would be honoured and they're still sticking to that with Deathloop and Ghost Wire or whatever it's called. Speculation was wide-spread that going forward MS would keep new games exclusive after existing deals had been honoured, and all the Sony fanboys refused to believe that such a thing would be possible, screaming that MS would ruin gaming and be anti-competitive if they played Sony's exclusives game. Nobody from MS said anything about keeping games on both consoles. In fact, Phil Spencer (or Major Nelson) specifically stated that MS wouldn't have to release games on other platforms to make the $7.5 billion deal worthwhile if they didn't want to. I don't remember ever reading that they promised not to make games exclusive, only that the existing deals would be honoured, which hasn't changed to my knowledge.

Why would they not keep new games to the Xbox brand when they're spending so much money on such an acquisition? It's pretty obvious that they're investing in their own system by making such a big purchase. I think you'll find it was more hope from many PlayStation owners that MS wouldn't go the exclusive route, not false hope given by MS themselves. People from MS were being very careful about what they said and how they said it whilst the details of the acquisition were being worked out, and applying logic would have most arriving at the conclusion that they'd be making new games from all Zenimax studios exclusive in some sort of way. I don't remember them making any promises that they wouldn't but I'm happy to be proven wrong if you can post it up.

 

[silvagti]

When did they promise that?

https://www.businessinsider.com/bethesda-xbox-exclusive-game-pass-games-first-playstation-5-2020-11

This was the article/comment I recalled but perhaps it wasn't an overly official statement. It implied 'timed' exclusives rather than console exclusives.

 

[CHokKA]

https://www.businessinsider.com/bethesda-xbox-exclusive-game-pass-games-first-playstation-5-2020-11

This was the article/comment I recalled but perhaps it wasn't an overly official statement. It implied 'timed' exclusives rather than console exclusives.

That's some very clever wording that doesn't say anything about new games. It says ""In the long run [...] we don't have intentions of just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise," Stuart said." That says nothing about new games, only content, and this has been clarified recently to be about things like expansions for games like Elder Scrolls Online or Fallout 76 etc which are ongoing online experiences on different platforms.

I can't ever remember reading that MS wouldn't exclusively release games on Xbox or MS platforms. All I remember is that they were so careful about how they worded their responses and that's made me feel all along that new games will be exclusive.

 

[silvagti]

Yeah, reading it back again as you say the wording is very deliberate. It's clear that Bethesda titles were always going to become Microsoft exclusives post acquisition!

 

[unwashed potato!]

shame but at the same time, i sure hope no one was playing elder scrolls games on a console any way #pcmasterrace

 

[theone8181]

Does seem a bit daft as they must be throwing away a large chunk of cash (possibly more than they'll make on the xbox version, not sure of the split of these games).

 

[unwashed potato!]

Perhaps directly, but indirectly I bet they expect to make more back not just with this console but all future consoles. Elder scrolls alone are games that will forever sell, look at skyrim for instance.

This sells xboxs and xbox gold and xbox game pass and that makes them more money.

 

[bloodiedathame]

There are plenty of games Xbox users miss out on that are Playstation exclusives. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[t@xman]

My Sega Saturn is still bitter that Sony bought PS exclussivity for Tomb Raider 2........swings and round-a-bouts!

 

[ZG002]

There are plenty of games Xbox users miss out on that are Playstation exclusives. Swings and roundabouts.

I think it's more to do with people being invested in the franchise and then not being able to play the next installment without buying into xbox.

Not too bothered myself, but I can see it being annoying if you are a massive Fallout fan but decided on a PS5 for example. It was fairly obvious what MS were upto though as soon as the news broke.

 

[Noxia]

shame but at the same time, i sure hope no one was playing elder scrolls games on a console any way #pcmasterrace

That would be a waste of money playing on a crypto miner

 

[BowdonUK]

It's a childish backward step.

I can understand a timed exclusive. But they are missing out on millions of dollars in revenue just to play console wars.

 

[unwashed potato!]

Hardly childish.

What about the ps exclusives? I can't play spiderman, horizon zero dawn off the top of my head. Are they missing out?

Obvs ms look at the figures and saw it made sense. Have you? How many sales do PlayStation copies make over pc or xbox?

 

[Kreeeee]

It's a childish backward step.

I can understand a timed exclusive. But they are missing out on millions of dollars in revenue just to play console wars.

How is it childish? Microsoft bought a company and that company now publishes exclusively on platforms where Microsoft has a stake via Xbox, Windows, or Game Pass. It’s just logical business.


Was Sony childish when they bought Naughty Dog but didn’t release their games on competing platforms?

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

To call it childish seems quite childish.
Seems a great business move from Microsoft. I'm happy I've got a PC to play future titles on (if they're any use, given how poor FO76 was).
In an ideal world, everything is out on everything, but we don't live there.

 

[BowdonUK]

How is it childish? Microsoft bought a company and that company now publishes exclusively on platforms where Microsoft has a stake via Xbox, Windows, or Game Pass. It’s just logical business.

It doesn't make logical business sense because they are cutting off millions of consumers from buying the product, missing out on massive revenue.

Was Sony childish when they bought Naughty Dog but didn’t release their games on competing platforms?

Yes.

To call it childish seems quite childish.
Seems a great business move from Microsoft. I'm happy I've got a PC to play future titles on (if they're any use, given how poor FO76 was).
In an ideal world, everything is out on everything, but we don't live there.

It's childish for the software company to cut off half of its revenue. Don't they think the Xbox can compete with Sony? I can understand timed exclusives. But this is a backward step which no consumer should be happy about.

I was around in the 80s and 90s and always the aim was to make a game to be played on all systems, even if certain systems only managed ports of other systems.

I guess the difference in this situation is the makers of the machines are more powerful than the software houses these days.

For the record so far I've not got the PS5 due to a lack of supply, so I am still open to buying either machine i.e. I'm not a PS5 moaner that I've bought a machine that I can't play Skyrim 6 on.. if this is the case I'll end up buying both systems.

But call me childish for wanting all gamers to experience all games on their respective platforms.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Sony has forced the hand of MS unfortunately. On the one hand it’s not great for gamers who don’t have access to the exclusive games from either side, but it does mean that they will invest even more into those games to hopefully make them even better, so it’s a somewhat split win/lose argument.

 

[silvagti]

I was around in the 80s and 90s and always the aim was to make a game to be played on all systems, even if certain systems only managed ports of other systems.

I guess the difference in this situation is the makers of the machines are more powerful than the software houses these days.

For the record so far I've not got the PS5 due to a lack of supply, so I am still open to buying either machine i.e. I'm not a PS5 moaner that I've bought a machine that I can't play Skyrim 6 on.. if this is the case I'll end up buying both systems.

Nintendo (in particular) and Sega were both just as bad back in the 80s 90s to be fair for platform exclusives.

I guess it's just an essential part of selling consoles and making your system look more appealing that competitors. Especially now when the Xbox series/one and PS4/ps5 are basically the using near enough the same internals so there's very little between them.

I'm not happy about it but obviously Microsoft feel they'll make more money selling xbox's than they'll lose by not making Bethesda titles available on Playstation.