Xbox and Bethesda are planning to host a joint conference ‘in a few weeks’

Xbox and Bethesda Softworks will hold a joint conference this summer to introduce players to their upcoming projects.

Matt Booty, who heads up Xbox Game Studios, reportedly told French publication Le Figaro (paywall) that the event would take place in a few weeks, suggesting a mid-June timeframe coinciding with Summer Game Fest and E3 2021.

Booty also told journalist Chloe Woitier, who wrote the article, that there was a “Covid impact” on the production of Xbox Game Studios titles, which slowed down production and mostly impacted original games rather than sequels.

He also reportedly said Microsoft doesn’t want its studios to create games based simply on what might work best on Xbox Game Pass.

Asked if further acquisitions were on the cards for Xbox Game Studios, Booty said he couldn’t share anything.

Microsoft announced in March that it had officially completed the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda, in a $7.5 billion deal.

The move saw Xbox Game Studios grow from 15 to 23 development teams with the addition of Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Studios.

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Following the news, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said delivering exclusive games for platforms that support Xbox Game Pass was the primary reason Microsoft had acquired ZeniMax.

Microsoft also added a number of additional Bethesda titles to Xbox Game Pass, including Arkane’s Dishonored Definitive Edition and Prey, taking the total available on the service to 20.

Asked during an Xbox and Bethesda roundtable event in March when consumers would get some information on what the companies have been working on together, Bethesda global marketing and communications VP Erin Losi said “we’ll have something this summer.”

It was recently claimed that Starfield, the next big RPG from The Elder Scrolls maker Bethesda, is likely to be shown off in June ahead of a planned release in 2022 exclusively for Xbox and PC.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier also claimed on Wednesday that Starfield will appear at E3, but that it won’t be released until late 2022. Citing development sources, he suggested it’s “nowhere near done”.

It was confirmed last week that QuakeCon, the annual celebration of the major franchises of id Software and other Bethesda studios, will return in August 2021 as an all-digital event for the second year running.