Phil Spencer on the big Bethesda deal: "This is about delivering great exclusive games on platforms where Game Pass exists"

(Image credit: Bethesda)

On the heels of Microsoft's now-official purchase of Bethesda, Xbox boss Phil Spencer stressed that the deal "is about delivering great exclusive games" for Xbox platforms.

Speaking at today's roundtable discussion between Xbox and Bethesda leads, Spencer addressed mounting curiosity around the exclusivity of future Bethesda games, following up on a previous comment that "some new titles in the future" would be exclusive to Xbox and PC.

"Obviously, I can't sit here and say that every Bethesda game is exclusive," Spencer says. "We know that's not true. There's contractual obligations that we're gonna see through, as we always do in every one of these instances. We have games that exist on other platforms and we're gonna go support those games on the platforms they're on. There're communities of players, we love those communities, and we'll continue to invest in them. And even in the future, there might be things that have contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we'll go do.

"But for an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is that this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists," he continues. "That's our goal, that's why we're doing this, that's the root of this partnership that we're building. The creative capability we're gonna be able to bring to market for Xbox customers is gonna be the best it's ever been for Xbox after we're done here."

It's worth noting that Spencer specified "platforms where Game Pass exists" rather than individual machines. Xbox Game Pass is already available on the entire family of Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles as well as PC and mobile, and Microsoft's plans for Bethesda will affect all of them – and any platforms which may add Game Pass support in the future. This lines up with plans to add all future Bethesda games to Game Pass on day one, and reinforces how heavily Xbox is investing in its premier subscription service.

Just as importantly, this underlines that Microsoft will indeed make the most of its $7.5 billion purchase by attaching Bethesda games to its platforms. What that means for series like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, which have large multi-platform followings, remains to be seen. Spencer's remarks on supporting games with "legacy on different platforms" implies that Xbox may not keep the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 off other platforms, but it's far too early to say for sure.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.