Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard triggered a specific amount of nervous sweat amongst PlayStation-owning Name of Responsibility followers. Would Name of Responsibility releases in some not-too-distant future turn out to be Xbox unique? The prospect wasn’t past perception: Each Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 had been made console exclusives—that’s, they’re going to be launched on Xbox and PC—after Microsoft acquired Bethesda Softworks final yr.
Till now, Microsoft has solely stated that it’s going to “honor all present commitments” to different platform holders after the acquisition is full, and that “now we have no intent to take away any content material from platforms the place it exists immediately.” In a tweet posted this afternoon, nonetheless, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was extra express—in regards to the Name of Responsibility collection, not less than.
Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all present agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our want to maintain Name of Responsibility on PlayStation. Sony is a vital a part of our trade, and we worth our relationship.January 20, 2022
“Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony,” he tweeted. “I confirmed our intent to honor all present agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our want to maintain Name of Responsibility on PlayStation. Sony is a vital a part of our trade, and we worth our relationship.”
That is excellent news for the Name of Responsibility group, and never terribly stunning I do not suppose. Bethesda RPG’s are once-a-decade video games, whereas the Name of Responsibility collection is, for now not less than, an annual occasion, making it a serious, common income stream—and that is not making an allowance for Warzone, the dwell recreation battle royale. Reducing that off simply to hose a competitor on {hardware} gross sales would not make any sense, particularly because the present console technology is barely a yr previous. And whereas Xbox followers would possibly think about it a win, such a transfer would fire up some highly effective damaging emotions too.
It is also noteworthy, although, that Spencer solely talked about Name of Responsibility. Different large Activision Blizzard video games, together with Overwatch, Diablo, Hearthstone, Warcraft—all of them, actually—all of the sudden appear much more prone to find yourself as Xbox exclusives eventually. It is a fastidiously worded assertion, and the specificity of solely mentioning Name of Responsibility speaks volumes.
Spencer’s assertion jogs my memory of feedback made by Xbox chief monetary officer Tim Stuart in 2020 when he was requested whether or not Microsoft would make future Bethesda video games console exclusives. “We extremely encourage cross-platform play, merely from this panorama of, if it is good for the gaming ecosystem, it is good for us, basic rising tide lifts all boats,” he said in response. Seven months later, in June 2021, Starfield was confirmed as an Xbox unique; The Elder Scrolls 6 exclusivity announcement adopted in November.
