Microsoft Bought Bethesda to Avoid Starfield

Microsot’s acquisition of the popular game company Bethesda Softworks and ZeniMax Media for a total of 7.5 billion dollars made a huge impact in the gaming world. This acquisition increases the number of exclusive games Xbox has on hand, as well as a selection of Bethesda’s popular franchises. Whether it will be on PlayStation also raised the question.

Microsoft has promised Xbox and PC exclusive games post-acquisition and has released Redfall so far. Starfield will debut on September 6th.. Bethesda’s upcoming Indiana Jones game will also be exclusive to Xbox and PC. So why did Microsoft make such a move?

Microsoft actually freaked out about Sony’s plan to snatch Starfield

Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced that they have offered to make the game a PS5 exclusive to Bethesda, the developer of a game like Sony’s Starfield, which is marketed with a large advertising budget. So actually the real reason behind Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda and ZeniMax is to play the game. PS5 was saved from being exclusive.

Spencer explains the situation this way: “When we bought ZeniMax, one of the reasons was that Sony had a deal for Deathloop and Ghostwire… They paid Bethesda not to release these games on Xbox. The discussion about Starfield was when we heard that Starfield would potentially not come to Xbox We had to secure the content.”

Spencer’s statements appear to describe Sony as an aggressive and hostile competitor. For after the above he said:“When we release any game on PlayStation, Sony takes 30 percent of the revenue we make on its platforms, and then uses that money and other revenues to do things to reduce Xbox’s market survival. We try to compete, but like I said we haven’t been able to do this effectively in the last 20 years“

Spencer previously followed a very peaceful path about the Call of Duty series, arguing that players from all platforms should have access to these games.