Xbox boss says Bethesda deal was made to give exclusive titles to Game Pass platforms

Even with Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg stating that Thursday’s roundtable livestream with Bethesda would not deliver any game reveals, the event did confirm what many fans were hoping would revitalize the Xbox brand — exclusive games. According to Xbox head Phil Spencer, the hardware creator will focus on delivering Bethesda titles exclusively to Xbox and Game Pass. 

“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,” Spencer asserted. “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.”

Spencer and the rest of the Xbox team are surely on the offensive, but that doesn’t mean Microsoft won’t honor the business deals Bethesda and its parent company, ZeniMax Media, made before the acquisition. The Xbox boss noted that there’s still “contractual obligations that we’re gonna see through,” seemingly referencing Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo’s timed-exclusivity on PlayStation and PC.

Although the ZeniMax Media acquisition was only completed earlier this week, Xbox has taken it upon itself to use the deal as a major leg from its competition already. Starting Friday, most Xbox Game Pass owners will see the inclusion of 20 new Bethesda-published titles, including games from the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises.