Following the release of Starfield this week, Bethesda Game Studios is preparing to unveil the next chapter in its highly anticipated fantasy role-playing game series.
Starfield is available now on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC via Windows and Steam, as well as through Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, allowing gamers to enjoy it on a variety of devices, including mobile phones and select smart TVs.
The release marks the first for Bethesda Game Studios since its acquisition by Microsoft parent company ZeniMax Media in 2021. It’s important to note that Starfield is not available on PlayStation consoles, and a similar scenario is expected for Indiana Jones, which will be published by Bethesda Softworks.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, asked about the potential exclusivity of Elder Scrolls 6 in an interview with Bloomberg this week and Microsoft’s criteria for determining such a release strategy.
“We evaluate each game individually,” he replied. Our goal is to make our games available across multiple locations: Xbox consoles, PCs and the cloud, giving players the ability to play on virtually any device with internet access.”
“We’re listening to the millions of players who will have access to Starfield and other Xbox Game Studios titles. Our goal is to give players the freedom to choose how they want to play and build their gaming collections.”
In November 2021, Phil Spencer hinted in an interview that Elder Scrolls 6 would not be available on PlayStation, stating that the exclusivity strategy was not punitive towards other platforms.
However, in July, amid Microsoft’s legal dispute with the Federal Trade Commission, Spencer was ambivalent about his previous statements that the game would be available exclusively on Xbox.
“With Elder Scrolls 6 so far in the future, it’s hard to predict what the platforms will be… We’re discussing a project that won’t see the light of day for at least five years,” he said (according to Axios’ Steven Totilo).
Before Microsoft struck a deal with ZeniMax, Todd Howard, the head of Bethesda Game Studios overseeing development of Elder Scrolls 6, said it was difficult to imagine the game becoming an Xbox exclusive.
However, in an interview published this week, Howard noted that the decision to make Starfield exclusive to Xbox consoles contributed to the creation of a better product.
Bethesda publishing chief Pete Hines said last month that development on Elder Scrolls 6 was in the “early stages” and fans shouldn’t expect news about it “for several years” after Starfield’s release.