Report: Xbox will confirm Bethesda’s Game Pass future this week

Microsoft will reportedly publish a video presentation answering questions about its planned acquisition of Bethesda this week.

That’s according to sources cited by GamesBeat, which claims that the video will be published this Thursday, March 11, and explain what the ZeniMax deal means for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Specifically, it’s claimed that Microsoft will announce several Bethesda games will be coming to Game Pass soon.

UPDATE: Microsoft has officially completed the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, it announced on Tuesday.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said Bethesda will share more about what’s next for its teams later this year, and news about additional Bethesda games coming to Xbox Game Pass later this week.

further reading

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Microsoft confirms its Bethesda acquisition is complete and ‘some games’ will be exclusive

Phil Spencer says Bethesda will continue making games “the way it always has”

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: In addition, it’s claimed that the Xbox firm will reiterate that any future and “contractually eligible” game from under the Zenimax umbrella will hit Game Pass at launch, like Microsoft’s other first-party titles.

According to GamesBeat’s sources, the video presentation is unlikely to detail future Bethesda titles. Instead, it’s claimed that Xbox and Bethesda are planning to hold separate showcases around E3’s planned dates in June to show off the likes of Starfield.

The events will be held separately, it’s claimed, but Microsoft could try to present them back-to-back as part of a double bill.

The report states that it’s unclear whether Microsoft and Bethesda will address the question of platform exclusivity.

Bethesda currently has two PS5 timed exclusives planned in Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, which Xbox has said it will honour, while PS5 owners will also be eager to know if Indiana Jones, Starfield and Elder Scrolls V will come to PlayStation.

Earlier today The European Union’s antitrust regulator approved Microsoft’s proposed $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax, it announced.

It’s the latest sign that the deal is moving closer to completion after private-equity firm Providence Equity Partners, which owned 25 percent of ZeniMax, removed the company from its website portfolio.

Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media will see Xbox Game Studios grow from 15 to 23 development teams.

Employing some 2,300 staff worldwide, Bethesda Softworks studios include Bethesda Game Studios (Fallout, Elder Scrolls), id Software (Doom), ZeniMax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online), Arkane (Dishonored, Prey), MachineGames (Wolfenstein), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within), Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently said he believes that Bethesda’s development teams will be “very, very critical” to the future of the Xbox platform.