This information comes as part of Microsoft’s response to the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard (something it called “unconstitutional”). Tucked away in the newly issued document’s many, many pages, Microsoft stated: “Xbox anticipates that three future titles - REDACTED - all of which are designed to be played primarily alone or in small groups - will be exclusive to Xbox and PCs.” It additionally pointed to the fact that “ZeniMax’s first two new games were made exclusive to PlayStation for one year post- launch”, these being Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. You can see the quote, along with its surrounding text for context, in the image below. So, what could these three, mysteriously redacted, games be? Well, the obvious answers are Starfield, Redfall and The Elder Scrolls 6. Both Starfield and Redfall, which saw their releases delayed into 2023 earlier this year, have been confirmed to be exclusives already. Meanwhile, back in June, Bethesda stated that Fallout 5 will be its next game after The Elder Scrolls 6. That being said, there is also an Indiana Jones game in the pipeline from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, so we can’t rule that one out either. Speaking of, I will need to upgrade from my One for this release. I do love me that whip-wielding professor! But I digress. There is also a third option to ponder - that Bethesda has another game in the works that has not been announced yet. This, perhaps, could explain the decision to redact that particular part of Microsoft’s response. Elsewhere in the document, Microsoft reiterated its intention to release Activision Blizzard games day and date on Xbox Game Pass. This is something the company is unwilling to negotiate with the FTC on, at least at present. Now we have to wait and see if both parties can come to some sort of an agreement before the lawsuit goes to court. If this doesn’t happen, however, a judge will set a date for proceedings to begin, or dismiss the case altogether. We will keep you posted!
