Microsoft has said that it expects to ship “many” future Bethesda/ZeniMax games on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. The company made this revelation during yesterday’s court hearing where it argued in defense of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft canned PS5 versions of several Bethesda games post-acquisition
The Federal Trade Commission has long argued that Microsoft reneged on the promises it made when acquiring ZeniMax media by canceling games that were originally meant to release on the PS5 as well. It has now been confirmed that Redfall, Starfield, and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones were all planned for the PS5 until the acquisition.
In its defense, Microsoft says that it needs to offer some exclusive content to Xbox players, and neither Starfield nor Redfall have established communities on PlayStation. The company chose to remain mum about The Elder Scrolls VI, and it was Bethesda’s Pete Hines who spilled the beans about Indiana Jones.
Microsoft says Redfall’s exclusivity has no material impact on console sales, especially since the game was “widely panned” by critics and generated “minimal sales.” “At the same time, Xbox expects that many other future ZeniMax titles will be shipped on PlayStation and Nintendo,” the court document reads.
Which Bethesda games will grace the PS5 with their presence remains to be seen.
