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Xbox CFO Talks Bethesda Exclusivity; “We Want Bethesda Content to be First or Better or Best on Xbox Platforms”

Drop the thought from your minds. These games, the biggest ones, will be Xbox and PC exclusive. They'll also be available on Xcloud.

People think Microsoft spent $7.5 billion to do things that will not disadvantage other platforms not their own? If you're talking about recouping the investment, Microsoft makes more than enough money, this isn't just about money or recouping costs of the purchase. It will be more valuable to Microsoft that more people look to Xbox as a platform or gamepass as a service.

The value of Bethesda to Xbox is about more than money. They'll still support Playstation with some releases, but not the biggies. Microsoft are in this thing to compete and win despite what people may think. Winning for them is the value of game pass going way up. It won't just benefit Microsoft and Xbox, but studios who put their titles on gamepass also.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Drop the thought from your minds. These games, the biggest ones, will be Xbox and PC exclusive. They'll also be available on Xcloud.

People think Microsoft spent $7.5 billion to do things that will not disadvantage other platforms not their own? If you're talking about recouping the investment, Microsoft makes more than enough money, this isn't just about money or recouping costs of the purchase. It will be more valuable to Microsoft that more people look to Xbox as a platform or gamepass as a service.

The value of Bethesda to Xbox is about more than money. They'll still support Playstation with some releases, but not the biggies. Microsoft are in this thing to compete and win despite what people may think. Winning for them is the value of game pass going way up. It won't just benefit Microsoft and Xbox, but studios who put their titles on gamepass also.

And these big titles cost hundreds of millions. They might need that Nintendo and Playstation install base to sel units and make a profit
 
And these big titles cost hundreds of millions. They might need that Nintendo and Playstation install base to sel units and make a profit

Game Pass, Xbox and PC sales will be more than enough. Don't forget how successful games are on PC. Look at what transpired recently with Cyberpunk even with its problems. Imagine Microsoft pocketing 100% of all those sales, not including the percentages taken by digital platforms. A Game Pass subscriber that sticks around for months to have access to epic Bethesda RPGs? Bethesda's kind of games were quite literally made to push something like Game Pass.

If people focus on the Microsoft press release what you will see is Xbox, Xbox or PC, Xbox, not a single mention of Playstation anywhere because the intent with Bethesda's purchase is much different from, say, the Minecraft purchase.

Meanwhile in the Minecraft purchase, an immediate commitment to stick with all existing platforms, including Playstation, is made. No such upfront commitment about Bethesda.


"Microsoft plans to continue to make “Minecraft” available across all the platforms on which it is available today: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox and PlayStation."


Compare that to the much more Xbox, Game Pass PC centric press release on Bethesda. And Phil already made his "case by case" statement, meaning the idea of not giving big games to Playstation is actually a major consideration.

 
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Kokoloko85

Member
Then why isn't Halo Infinite coming to PS5?
Because Halo isnt a new aquistion that has cost 7.5billion. MS might be rolling in money but investors want big returns after spending big bucks.
And gamepass isnt make much profit atm https://wccftech.com/microsoft-admits-xbox-game-pass-isnt-really-making-a-lot-of-money-right-now/

Im not saying its definitely coming to PS5.
Im saying theres a possibility as Bethesda has come out and said they want to choose what platforms they wanna release on and this quote here isnt exactly saying Exclusive...

“We Want Bethesda Content to be First or Better or Best on Xbox Platforms”​


Thats not coming out and saying its exclusive. Otherwise they’d say it will be exclusive. Like most say after buying a studio
 

Kagey K

Banned
Because Halo isnt a new aquistion that has cost 7.5billion. MS might be rolling in money but investors want big returns after spending big bucks.
And gamepass isnt make much profit atm https://wccftech.com/microsoft-admits-xbox-game-pass-isnt-really-making-a-lot-of-money-right-now/

Im not saying its definitely coming to PS5.
Im saying theres a possibility as Bethesda has come out and said they want to choose what platforms they wanna release on and this quote here isnt exactly saying Exclusive...

“We Want Bethesda Content to be First or Better or Best on Xbox Platforms”​


Thats not coming out and saying its exclusive. Otherwise they’d say it will be exclusive. Like most say after buying a studio
That Gamepass quote is from just after they announced 10 mil, they have almost doubled users since then and may not be as relevant as it used to be.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Game Pass, Xbox and PC sales will be more than enough. Don't forget how successful games are on PC. Look at what transpired recently with Cyberpunk even with its problems. Imagine Microsoft pocketing 100% of all those sales, not including the percentages taken by digital platforms. A Game Pass subscriber that sticks around for months to have access to epic Bethesda RPGs? Bethesda's kind of games were quite literally made to push something like Game Pass.

If people focus on the Microsoft press release what you will see is Xbox, Xbox or PC, Xbox, not a single mention of Playstation anywhere because the intent with Bethesda's purchase is much different from, say, the Minecraft purchase.

Meanwhile in the Minecraft purchase, an immediate commitment to stick with all existing platforms, including Playstation, is made. No such upfront commitment about Bethesda.


"Microsoft plans to continue to make “Minecraft” available across all the platforms on which it is available today: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox and PlayStation."


Compare that to the much more Xbox, Game Pass PC centric press release on Bethesda. And Phil already made his "case by case" statement, meaning the idea of not giving big games to Playstation is actually a major consideration.


Im not saying its for sure, Im just saying its a maybe.
Normally its pretty obvious games will be exclusive after a Purchase but they havent come out and said it and have played around with it instead and made comments like:

“We Want Bethesda Content to be First or Better or Best on Xbox Platforms​

Or case by case basis.

Its a big purchase and yes MS is rolling in cash but they need to make more profits. Halo is costing over 1/4 of a billion at least, a few more big budget games like this that will flop and ms investors wont be happy. Investors want more money, they dont care that they already have billions, there in it to make money not say they have money to buy more.

Gamepass isnt making much profit either. https://wccftech.com/microsoft-admits-xbox-game-pass-isnt-really-making-a-lot-of-money-right-now/

Cyberpunk is a special case, like probably elder scrolls and GTA but neither has cost investors over 7.5 billion. They will want returns
 

Old Empire.

Member
And these big titles cost hundreds of millions. They might need that Nintendo and Playstation install base to sel units and make a profit

Series X is selling out when arrives at retail everywhere, so business wise things look far brighter. Most titles arriving in the future will be build with the new consoles in mind. PS4 install base is irrelevant.

It would make more sense, my thoughts anyway, to have the games exclusive to Xbox and increase the install base of the console.. Reality is, to increase, the install base of game pass, user most own a xbox or PC. Yes it be quicker return to have games on Playstation. Doing that you potentially may harm game pass growth on Xbox.. Smarter people than I are looking at the pitfalls of that.

I know this not what Playstation gamers want to happen and end of the day nobody has a clue what MS plans for Bethesda are.
The games could still arrive on Playstation at later date, in time this discussion will be answered.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Series X is selling out when arrives at retail everywhere, so business wise things look far brighter. Most titles arriving in the future will be build with the new consoles in mind. PS4 install base is irrelevant.

It would make more sense, my thoughts anyway, to have the games exclusive to Xbox and increase the install base of the console.. Reality is, to increase, the install base of game pass, user most own a xbox or PC. Yes it be quicker return to have games on Playstation. Doing that you potentially may harm game pass growth on Xbox.. Smarter people than I are looking at the pitfalls of that.

I know this not what Playstation gamers want to happen and end of the day nobody has a clue what MS plans for Bethesda are.
The games could still arrive on Playstation at later date, in time this discussion will be answered.

Hey Im not MS. Tell them to come out and say its exclusive then. They have no need to play around but clearly they are hesitant to say these are 100% exclusive for some reason ...
Most consoles will sell out and so did Xbox one. I doubt Xbox will ever sell past 60m units again though
 

Kagey K

Banned
Hey Im not MS. Tell them to come out and say its exclusive then. They have no need to play around but clearly they are hesitant to say these are 100% exclusive for some reason ...
Most consoles will sell out and so did Xbox one. I doubt Xbox will ever sell past 60m units again though
They legally can’t until the deal is done. Once the deal is closed they will be able to speak more freely about future plans.
 
My take is we are in an HBO Max, Disney Plus, Netflix world now. Phil Harrison confirming they basically dropped a major game development initiative solely based on the Bethesda Purchase demonstrates the value of people knowing a specific platform is DEFINITELY not getting these games.
 

Old Empire.

Member
Hey Im not MS. Tell them to come out and say its exclusive then. They have no need to play around but clearly they are hesitant to say these are 100% exclusive for some reason ...
Most consoles will sell out and so did Xbox one. I doubt Xbox will ever sell past 60m units again though
Reality is the 1 dollar transactions are there to drag you in then to keep paying the subscription for the year. Gamepass vision is not there yet to take out the cheap deal. MS releases big titles in 2021 there going to be lot of modifications to the plans. There minor loss now since most of the offerings are third party titles that are year or more old.

Plus, you never own the titles on Gamepass so i doubt there even losses here. It’s a renting deal, so they don ‘t have to pay studios much money. Some studios may even accept very little back and wish was increase the base users playing the game? Some may even buy DLC , and all through gamepass.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Reality is the 1 dollar transactions are there to drag you in then to keep paying the subscription for the year. Gamepass vision is not there yet to take out the cheap deal. MS releases big titles in 2021 there going to be lot of modifications to the plans. There minor loss now since most of the offerings are third party titles that are year or more old.

Plus, you never own the titles on Gamepass so i doubt there even losses here. It’s a renting deal, so they don ‘t have to pay studios much money. Some studios may even accept very little back and wish was increase the base users playing the game? Some may even buy DLC , and all through gamepass.

I get that but Im talking about the need to fund there own studios projects. 24+ studios some with multiple projects and big Huge ones.
MS has money to burn otherwise its not a good model to fund AAA projects for long.
 

EDMIX

Member
Phil Harrison confirming they basically dropped a major game development initiative solely based on the Bethesda Purchase demonstrates the value of people knowing a specific platform is DEFINITELY not getting these games.

Or they were one of the ones gunning for that team to acquire them and lowballed and lost. I don't think he is worried their platform won't have it, he is worried the company he works for won't have it as in OWN IT, thus the deal was just too big that they lost and maybe they had big hopes of using its purchase to get many to go on their platform. So if its on all platforms in the end, that won't matter to Harrison cause it won't be ONLY on their platform so.... maybe that is the case.
 

Leyasu

Banned
I get that but Im talking about the need to fund there own studios projects. 24+ studios some with multiple projects and big Huge ones.
MS has money to burn otherwise its not a good model to fund AAA projects for long.
Disney projected needing at least 5 yrs to make a profit on +. I should imagine MS are expecting a little longer given the time it takes to make games.
 
Exclusives never made me buy a console I had no interest in in the first place. Not once. I playing on playstation ever since psx and no amount of exclusives will ever change that. All.my friends are on psn. I spent thousands of dollars for ps games. I simply don't want an Xbox. And if that means I cannot play Bethesda games in the future I won't lose any sleep over this. Like at all.
 

noise36

Member
Exclusives never made me buy a console I had no interest in in the first place. Not once. I playing on playstation ever since psx and no amount of exclusives will ever change that. All.my friends are on psn. I spent thousands of dollars for ps games. I simply don't want an Xbox. And if that means I cannot play Bethesda games in the future I won't lose any sleep over this. Like at all.

Why not just play the best games where ever they play best? Who cares about the corporations.
 
Or they were one of the ones gunning for that team to acquire them and lowballed and lost. I don't think he is worried their platform won't have it, he is worried the company he works for won't have it as in OWN IT, thus the deal was just too big that they lost and maybe they had big hopes of using its purchase to get many to go on their platform. So if its on all platforms in the end, that won't matter to Harrison cause it won't be ONLY on their platform so.... maybe that is the case.

That's the thing, though, Harrison knows the very instant Microsoft bought Bethesda there was no way any of those future Bethesda titles were ever going to head to Stadia unless there was already some pre-arranged deal in place that Microsoft planned on honoring. Microsoft buying Bethesda was a major blow to Stadia and surely their management's hopes of having people play such lengthy, epic games through their service. The kinds of games Bethesda makes have always been perfect for Game Pass or up and coming streaming services. It's no wonder that when Fall Out 4 first dropped on Game Pass it was an instant hit, so Microsoft now about to own Bethesda is like a coming full circle moment.
 

EDMIX

Member
That's the thing, though, Harrison knows the very instant Microsoft bought Bethesda there was no way any of those future Bethesda titles were ever going to head to Stadia unless there was already some pre-arranged deal in place that Microsoft planned on honoring. Microsoft buying Bethesda was a major blow to Stadia and surely their management's hopes of having people play such lengthy, epic games through their service. The kinds of games Bethesda makes have always been perfect for Game Pass or up and coming streaming services. It's no wonder that when Fall Out 4 first dropped on Game Pass it was an instant hit, so Microsoft now about to own Bethesda is like a coming full circle moment.

With their whole gamepass thing, I can see that happening that way. You right. I didn't factor that.

I think buying Zenimax was a make it or break it thing for Harrison and he knew without that massive purchase, they would have a hard time getting a foothold.
 

Warablo

Member
Why not just play the best games where ever they play best? Who cares about the corporations.
People don't like change, so he's kinda stuck with Playstation ecosystem. Really people should be owners of everything and play each ones exclusives. Of course these people will still have preference console of choice. Like I enjoy Xbox more, but Sony has some great exclusives I need to play.
 

Greggy

Member
Exclusives never made me buy a console I had no interest in in the first place. Not once. I playing on playstation ever since psx and no amount of exclusives will ever change that. All.my friends are on psn. I spent thousands of dollars for ps games. I simply don't want an Xbox. And if that means I cannot play Bethesda games in the future I won't lose any sleep over this. Like at all.
We get it. They own your soul.
 
I think Games like elderscrolls are better being bought outright I shudder to think how much a game like that would cost over the years putting in 1000's of hours into it and with mods you can play fan made content forever etc , it just doesn't make financial sense to play it on gamepass rather than buying it outright is this game and games like it worth paying massive amounts of subscription money for gamepass ? , players would need a massive amount of discount for games like this a game you play for years it makes me wonder wether they'll change the model of the games themselves to fit gamepass I wonder ? .
 
Console exclusive 101: exclusive game make your console look appealing

But Microsoft failed

Console exclusive 098: if you buy a studio, their IPs, are exclusive to your platform.


once again Microsoft is trying to rewrite what's already normal and failing at it to be.....general
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
My take is we are in an HBO Max, Disney Plus, Netflix world now. Phil Harrison confirming they basically dropped a major game development initiative solely based on the Bethesda Purchase demonstrates the value of people knowing a specific platform is DEFINITELY not getting these games.
Not really. All it does mean (at the moment, at least) that Stadia realized that creating studios and making games from the start isn't the best solution. And purchasing well-established studios and IPs (like MS did with Bethesda) is perhaps a better idea.

That's why they have closed their studios for now. (though I do believe that Stadia will go away in a couple of years, I also believe they will focus more on acquisitions rather than organic growth)
 
He has devoted his life to Sony's plastic box. Such people makes me laugh but hey it is what it is.
What about his comment makes you laugh?

He has stated he has invested a lot of money into the PS ecosystem, has all his friends on that platform and has been exclusively gaming on the platform for years due to the strong exclusive lineups. Investing in an entirely new platform requires more $$$. Something he may not be able to part with so easily.

Have no idea what is wrong with what he's saying unless you can fill us in on what you find hilarious with his post.
 
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Kagey K

Banned
And such blatant snobism makes me laugh. But hey, it is what it is.
Jesus fucking Christ. You literally said this.
Exclusives never made me buy a console I had no interest in in the first place. Not once. I playing on playstation ever since psx and no amount of exclusives will ever change that. All.my friends are on psn. I spent thousands of dollars for ps games. I simply don't want an Xbox. And if that means I cannot play Bethesda games in the future I won't lose any sleep over this. Like at all.
But you want to call him a snob?

This is the finest pot calling the kettle black I’ve ever seen.
 

turtlepowa

Banned
What about his comment makes you laugh?

He has stated he has invested a lot of money into the PS ecosystem, has all his friends on that platform and has been exclusively gaming on the platform for years due to the strong exclusive lineups. Investing in an entirely new platform requires more $$$. Something he may not be able to part with so easily.

Have no idea what is wrong with what he's saying unless you can fill us in on what you find hilarious with his post.
I guess his statement "I simply don't want an Xbox". He didn't say "I don't have the money" or "I don't want to/can't spend that much money". There is also no need for big investments, because of Game Pass and you also could go for Xbox All Access" if money is an issue. But i guess it isn't for someone that can spend thousands of dollars for games.
 

Melee Attack

Neo Member
Why xbox owners hope so much that bethesda games will not come anymore to playstation platform it's pathetic.
They will be able to play them basically for free with game pass. Is that not good enough.
I understand that about Halo, Gears or Forza but for games that were always everywhere...? its a new level of hate
 
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Kagey K

Banned
Why xbox owners hope so much that bethesda games will not come anymore to playstation platform it's pathetic.
They will be able to play them basically for free with game pass. Is that not good enough.
I understand that about Halo, Gears or Forza but for games that were always everywhere...? its a new level of hate
Why do Sony want Square games to become exclusive? Even though they refuse to release most of their games anyway?

Or does this shit only go one way?
 
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Melee Attack

Neo Member
Why do Sony want Square games to become exclusive? Even though they refuse to release most of their games anyway?

Or does this shit only gone way?
I don't care what sony or microsoft wants i am talking about normal people
 

Kagey K

Banned
I don't care what sony or microsoft wants i am talking about normal people
Like all the ”normal” fanboys here?

What do they want?

They already told you in these 2 threads and you are going to pretend to speak for them?

You speak for and are embarrassing yourself, every time you try to speak for someone else.
 
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turtlepowa

Banned
i am talking about normal people
Then NeoGAF is the wrong place for you. I have never seen anywhere more die hard fanboys and console warriors than here. Even if the companies would get rid of exclusivity completely those people would still find a way to hate other peoples's plastic toys, just because hating is more fun than actually playing games.
 

MonarchJT

Banned
Why xbox owners hope so much that bethesda games will not come anymore to playstation platform it's pathetic.
They will be able to play them basically for free with game pass. Is that not good enough.
I understand that about Halo, Gears or Forza but for games that were always everywhere...? its a new level of hate
Because exclusivity is unfortunately the ABC of the world of consoles (and this concept was pushed to the extreme by Sony or Nientendo)and Xbox has been criticized for decades for the same reason. The fact that the games were on other platforms before is irrelevant. Completely irrelevant. Microsoft has tried to base its presence in the world of consoles on a few studios and focusing on third parties, even, incredibly naive, left the ownership of the IP to developers themselves. Finding himself later where to pay for the second time for titles like halo or gears. Sony has obliterated Ms from this point of view for too long Phil Spencer knows it and having a opposite vision from Mattrick's and with Nadella's support he is trying to straighten the course. Building a studio from scratch takes years and years but they started with 343i with the coalition with the initiative but they knew it wasn't enough especially now that they had to support a service that, without a continuous stream of content, it has no reason to exist. Gamepass. This is Bethesda's move and that is why many expect exclusivity. You don't need xbox if you can have naughty dog + xbox games
 
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