Microsoft Acquisition Of Bethesda Complete, Confirms Some Games Will Be Exclusive To Xbox And PC | M

System · March 2021

Microsoft Acquisition Of Bethesda Complete, Confirms Some Games Will Be Exclusive To Xbox And PC | MMORPG.com

Xbox's Phil Spencer officially welcomed the ZeniMax Media team, the parent company of studios like Bethesda Softworks and ESO dev ZeniMax Online Studios, to the Microsoft family. This comes a day after the European Commission greenlit Microsoft's acquisition of the gaming company in the largest merger in video game industry history.

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Alverant · March 2021

Let's hope MS treats Bethesda better than how EA treats Bioware.

Aeander · March 2021

If you can't make exclusives, buy them, amirite?

But seriously, as someone who never intends to buy an Xbox, I'm fine with it. Maybe it'll keep Sony from getting complacent.

There's certain rumored prospective acquisition targets (Sega/Atlus and Koei Tecmo) that I would be sorely disappointed if Microsoft acquired them for various reasons, but Bethesda is thankfully not one of those I care about.

Iselin · March 2021

All I really care about is that hopefully MS will upgrade the quality control standard for both Bethesda and ZOS games.

IMO both ZOS and Bethesda have a rather low bar of "good enough" with what they consider release ready and even after release their lack of emphasis on fixing bugs vs. releasing new content. They stand out not in a good way for their tolerance of bugs in their games compared to most other studios.

Hopefully both the extra financial safety net that MS provides and their corporate culture that takes bugs more seriously will change the Bethesda/ZOS culture.

Aeander · March 2021

Iselin said:

All I really care about is that hopefully MS will upgrade the quality control standard for both Bethesda and ZOS games.

IMO both ZOS and Bethesda have a rather low bar of "good enough" with what they consider release ready and even after release their lack of emphasis on fixing bugs vs. releasing new content. They stand out not in a good way for their tolerance of bugs in their games compared to most other studios.

Hopefully both the extra financial safety net that MS provides and their corporate culture that takes bugs more seriously will change the Bethesda/ZOS culture.

Agreed. But also, if Prey 2 was canceled for not meeting their quality standards, that game must have literally set consoles on fire.

BeansnBread · March 2021

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Quizzical · March 2021

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Debugging isn't about removing features. It's about taking the time to test things thoroughly and fix whatever you find that is wrong.

Sovrath · March 2021

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

hmmm I don't really see that. the game is the game regardless of the bugs. The bugs or jankiness just affect the player experience and the playability.

Now, having said that and a nod to your point, I can only imagine that fixing bugs adds to the budget of a game.

so a game costing 60 million to make with some QA will take a small hit to the profit (or increase the budget) with a LOT of QA.

But I can't imagine, given how these games sell and the longevity involved, that it will really be an issue.

GreenSage39 · March 2021

Alverant said:

Let's hope MS treats Bethesda better than how EA treats Bioware.

i don't really want to be that guy, but i kinda do...if you ever get a reason or inkling to go on the "darkweb" check out the dishes the EA staff gives about the company. most of the developers there even hate the company. lol. "but you can't pass up that big paycheck. it's a hefty chunk." lol.

BeansnBread · March 2021

Quizzical said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Debugging isn't about removing features. It's about taking the time to test things thoroughly and fix whatever you find that is wrong.

What you are saying is just plain innocent. Weirdly so considering how prolific you are at writing on this forum.

No one wants bugs. But sometimes budget realities allows bugs to get into the end product. I know that traditionally, Bethesda has allowed bugs to be a part of their game because the scope was so large, it wasn't financially feasible to quash them all.

I would love every game to have zero bugs, but I actually hope, at this point, that the scope doesn't change based on the reality of bugs.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

BeansnBread · March 2021

Sovrath said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

hmmm I don't really see that. the game is the game regardless of the bugs. The bugs or jankiness just affect the player experience and the playability.

Now, having said that and a nod to your point, I can only imagine that fixing bugs adds to the budget of a game.

so a game costing 60 million to make with some QA will take a small hit to the profit (or increase the budget) with a LOT of QA.

But I can't imagine, given how these games sell and the longevity involved, that it will really be an issue.

Well, I don't really know how accurate you or I can "see." I worry that the scope will change because there is a higher priority put on releasing a perfect product.

Iselin · March 2021

BeansnBread said:

Sovrath said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

hmmm I don't really see that. the game is the game regardless of the bugs. The bugs or jankiness just affect the player experience and the playability.

Now, having said that and a nod to your point, I can only imagine that fixing bugs adds to the budget of a game.

so a game costing 60 million to make with some QA will take a small hit to the profit (or increase the budget) with a LOT of QA.

But I can't imagine, given how these games sell and the longevity involved, that it will really be an issue.

Well, I don't really know how accurate you or I can "see." I worry that the scope will change because there is a higher priority put on releasing a perfect product.

There are extremes and no need to be at either end. There are many other studios that produce games every bit as large and complex as Bethesda that do so with far fewer bugs and more dedication to quickly stamp out the inevitable bugs.

No one is saying they should paralyze themselves obsessing about a 100% bug-free product since that's impossible but they can do a much better job of focusing on reacting quickly to the bugs that are found and fixing them quickly.

For example, there's an annoying little bug in one spot in ESO that has been there since release. There is one spot on a road in Grahtwood where if you're riding your mount, you are auto dismounted. It's no big deal but it has been reported hundreds of times in 7 years and the bug is still there today. That just gives the appearance of not giving a shit.

I don't just play their games. I play many games. They all have bugs but other studios seem to care more about fixing them when they're brought to their attention than Bethesda / ZOS does.

Hell even their own subsidiary studios like Arkane, ID and others do a much better job. IMO, it seems to be a Maryland HQ (where only Bethesda and ZOS are) problem that their studios in other locations don't have.

BruceYee · March 2021

Cool.. now make GoT Online.

xpsync · March 2021

Someone say exclusive to the PC?

Music to my ears.

xpsync · March 2021

I agree with Iselin they came out with the mind blowing Morrowind, HUGE OPEN WORLD, and at that time was off the charts NEW'ish for 3D games, then Oblivion improved graphics but a smaller world, then the rest all small and Fallout to me all felt same'ish mediocre messes in of bugs, level scaling removing the danger lurking around every corner feel, just all meh.

but... Hell Yeah i played them but there was never any real advancement and felt simple, or dated, so yeah just mediocre.

I loved Fallout 76, from day one this was so much better direction, poorly executed, but oh so much better, but end of the day i'm an mmorpg guy.

laserit · March 2021

A wonderful announcement as far as I’m concerned.

Sovrath · March 2021

BeansnBread said:

Sovrath said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

hmmm I don't really see that. the game is the game regardless of the bugs. The bugs or jankiness just affect the player experience and the playability.

Now, having said that and a nod to your point, I can only imagine that fixing bugs adds to the budget of a game.

so a game costing 60 million to make with some QA will take a small hit to the profit (or increase the budget) with a LOT of QA.

But I can't imagine, given how these games sell and the longevity involved, that it will really be an issue.

Well, I don't really know how accurate you or I can "see." I worry that the scope will change because there is a higher priority put on releasing a perfect product.

Well, the scope will change if they put a priority on fixing things. As long as they budget correctly it's not going to be a big deal because their games do sell very well.

Gorwe · March 2021

Quizzical said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Debugging isn't about removing features. It's about taking the time to test things thoroughly and fix whatever you find that is wrong.

No, but debugging takes TIME aka RESOURCES(money, time etc). And you don't have infinite resources, even under Microsoft. And with finite resources, you can focus only on so much. If you focus too much on debugging, other parts MIGHT suffer. And if you do, they(the games) will simply end up vanilla. Something TES rarely, if ever, was.

BeansnBread · March 2021

Iselin said:

BeansnBread said:

Sovrath said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

hmmm I don't really see that. the game is the game regardless of the bugs. The bugs or jankiness just affect the player experience and the playability.

Now, having said that and a nod to your point, I can only imagine that fixing bugs adds to the budget of a game.

so a game costing 60 million to make with some QA will take a small hit to the profit (or increase the budget) with a LOT of QA.

But I can't imagine, given how these games sell and the longevity involved, that it will really be an issue.

Well, I don't really know how accurate you or I can "see." I worry that the scope will change because there is a higher priority put on releasing a perfect product.

There are extremes and no need to be at either end. There are many other studios that produce games every bit as large and complex as Bethesda that do so with far fewer bugs and more dedication to quickly stamp out the inevitable bugs.

No one is saying they should paralyze themselves obsessing about a 100% bug-free product since that's impossible but they can do a much better job of focusing on reacting quickly to the bugs that are found and fixing them quickly.

For example, there's an annoying little bug in one spot in ESO that has been there since release. There is one spot on a road in Grahtwood where if you're riding your mount, you are auto dismounted. It's no big deal but it has been reported hundreds of times in 7 years and the bug is still there today. That just gives the appearance of not giving a shit.

I don't just play their games. I play many games. They all have bugs but other studios seem to care more about fixing them when they're brought to their attention than Bethesda / ZOS does.

Hell even their own subsidiary studios like Arkane, ID and others do a much better job. IMO, it seems to be a Maryland HQ (where only Bethesda and ZOS are) problem that their studios in other locations don't have.

Right, I take your meaning. And I play many games as well.

I've watched a lot of studios change dramatically after acquisition/merging. Blizzard and Bioware are two of the most obvious examples of change happening from my point of view. Bioware might as well have been a different company afterward. Blizzard, I think, actually changed Activision more than Activision changed Blizzard. So I definitely take your point on the greyness of it.

We are looking at Microsoft acquiring Bethesda. And like you mention, Arkane (not that into PREY myself) and Id (OMG DOOM is amazing, and Rage is solid) are also IPs besides Fallout and Elder Scrolls that I'd be interested in.

I am specifically worried about the Elder Scrolls and Fallout IPs. Their scope really is expensive and I absolutely love what they have done not only in creating those games, but what they've done to represent those types of games. I think we are almost a decade away from the Skyrim release. I think it's still one of the most popular single player games played today.

I honestly wonder why my opinion isn't more common about this. It is JUST a worry and not a fact at this point. But looking at the history of acquisitions, it bothers me.

BeansnBread · March 2021

TheAmir said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Skyrim was a janky, boring AF mess unless you modded the heck out of it.
Fallout 4 was even worse.

"Beyond belief" LOL.

Yup, we disagree.

Sovrath · March 2021

TheAmir said:

BeansnBread said:

I worry that the Bethesda branch of Microsoft will care TOO much about bugs and disturb whatever magic Bethesda brings to single player games.

I worry that these bug ridden games might not release at all because someone feels they are not worthy.

Skyrim (edit: Elder Scrolls) and Fallout games are worthy, beyond belief in my opinion. I hope there is not so much intervention in them that they get watered down in the interest of destroying every bug.

Skyrim was a janky, boring AF mess unless you modded the heck out of it.
Fallout 4 was even worse.

"Beyond belief" LOL.

Don't really agree.

Sovrath · March 2021

Torval said:

I agree with you about Skyrim being in good shape but Fallout 4 is still a bug-ridden mess without (or even with) community mod patches.

Was more commenting on Skyrim being boring/janky. I can't play the fallout games as I lose interest very quickly.

Post apocalyptic just doesn't do it for me.

This is not to say skyrim doesn't have its issues. But It's in pretty good shape and though it doesn't have some of the more positive things that the earlier games had it has other things that are definitely better than the previous games.

My thought/hope is that seeing how popular skyrim is, they will really make Elder Scrolls VI very robust. Given what Todd Howard said about cities I expect them to be more in line with cities in the Witcher 3. "Actual Cities" as opposed to "yadda, yadda, yadda we're a city! of 20."

Gorwe · March 2021

Didn't like Skyrim. Had a weird artstyle(...wtf did they do to Elves), story was so-so and it lacked the wonder, warmth and weirdness of previous TES games. Basically, it is overrated. To me at least.

Asm0deus · March 2021

I don't have either console and have zero plans on getting them, my last console was the PS3 which my son uses once in a great while however this seems like a nice kick in the teeth to all PS5 owners as it seems future game series IP's will not be available on playstation consoles.

Happy to be a PC gamer now I just hope they don't make some of these games xbox pass exclusive.

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