Xbox and Bethesda Softworks will hold a joint conference this summer to introduce players to their upcoming projects.
Matt Booty, who heads upXboxGame Studios, reportedly told French publicationLe Figaro(paywall) that the event would take place in a few weeks, suggesting a mid-June timeframe coinciding withSummer Game FestandE3 2021.
Booty also told journalistChloe Woitier, who wrote the article, that there was a “Covid impact” on the production of Xbox Game Studios titles, which slowed down production and mostly impacted original games rather than sequels.
He also reportedly saidMicrosoftdoesn’t want its studios to create games based simply on what might work best on Xbox Game Pass.
Asked if further acquisitions were on the cards for Xbox Game Studios, Booty said he couldn’t share anything.
Microsoft announced in March that it had officiallycompleted the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda, in a $7.5 billion deal.
The move saw Xbox Game Studios grow from 15 to 23 development teams with the addition of Bethesda Game Studios,id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios,Arkane,MachineGames,Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Studios.
Further reading
Following the news,Xbox boss Phil Spencer saiddelivering exclusive games for platforms that support Xbox Game Pass was the primary reason Microsoft had acquired ZeniMax.
Microsoft also added a number of additional Bethesda titles to Xbox Game Pass, including Arkane’s Dishonored Definitive Edition and Prey,taking the total available on the service to 20.
[Fil] J’ai pu m’entretenir avec Matt Booty, directeur des Xbox Game Studios. A propos du rachat de Bethesda :- conférence commune Microsoft-Bethesda dans quelques semaines- objectif : les nouveautés Bethesda dans le Game Pass dès le jour de leur sortiehttps://t.co/J1CQWnj8bl
Asked during an Xbox and Bethesda roundtable event in March when consumers would get some information on what the companies have been working on together, Bethesda global marketing and communications VP Erin Losi said “we’ll have something this summer.”
It was recently claimed thatStarfield, the next big RPG from The Elder Scrolls maker Bethesda, is likely to be shown off in June ahead of a plannedrelease in 2022 exclusively for Xbox and PC.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier also claimed on Wednesday that Starfield will appear at E3, but that it won’t be released until late 2022. Citing development sources, hesuggestedit’s “nowhere near done”.
Let me make this very clear: Bethesda’s plan is to tease a release date for Starfield at E3. That date is in late 2022. I’ll leave the specifics to them. But please keep your expectations in check and refrain from sending death threats when the other rumors turn out to be false
It was confirmed last week that QuakeCon, the annual celebration of the major franchises of id Software and other Bethesda studios,will return in August 2021 as an all-digital eventfor the second year running.
