Microsoft has confirmed that three of Bethesda’s games will be PC and Xbox exclusives, and although it’s not saying which ones, many people are already guessing.

In a recent document, Microsoft has said that three upcoming Bethesda releases will be Xbox and PC exclusive titles, although it doesn’t reveal exactly which games. With Starfield being one of the most anticipated releases of 2023, many eyes and ears are tuned to what the Skyrim developer will release soon, especially as it’s the studio’s first new IP in a quarter of a century.

The Bill Gates-founded multinational conglomerate has been making waves in the news recently for its controversy surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with regulators stepping in to possibly block the takeover. Microsoft bought Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax in 2020, and the Xbox creator already owns other studios such as id Software and Arkane, which developed Dishonored. All of this means that the tech giant has a lot of clout when it comes to games, and seems to want some of the expected future releases to be made exclusively for its hardware and operating system.

This is according to a statement issued to the Federal Trade Commission regarding the Activision-Blizzard merger. In the document, Microsoft wrote that Bethesda’s “three future titles” will be available only on Xbox and PC. Although the names of these titles are omitted from the statement, it goes on to say that these games are designed to be “primarily playable alone or in small groups”, so no doubt many readers will have some idea which ones the company has in mind.

It has already been confirmed that both Starfield and Redfall – the latter of which Bethesda is not developing but publishing – will be exclusive to both the Xbox series and Windows PC. As for the third mystery game, we can only speculate for now. However, it has already been hinted that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be exclusive to Microsoft, so it is likely to be the second release on the edited list. It’s speculation for now, but the fact that these future titles will either be single-player or have multiplayer with small groups suggests that a sequel to Skyrim may be held back from other systems, such as PlayStation.

Since Fallout 5 was confirmed earlier this year, some may wonder if Microsoft would want this Bethesda game to be an exclusive title as well. It’s too early to say, but there will undoubtedly be many people who don’t have a powerful PC or current-generation Xbox console who will be unhappy if, like TES6, it is only released on those systems.

Source: GameRant