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Bethesda's library will come to Xbox Game Pass on console and PC

Microsoft's latest purchase means a wealth of new titles on Game Pass.

Donovan Erskine

September 21, 2020 9:20 AM

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Microsoft shook the news cycle on September 21 when they announced that they had acquired ZeniMax Media and Bethesda for $7.5 billion. The move is monumental for Microsoft, as future Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom titles (among others) will be first-party titles for Xbox. Though those releases may be far away, the deal will have an impact relatively soon. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer shared that Bethesda’s library of games will be joining the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. 

In Spencer’s post to Xbox’s website, he reflects on Microsoft’s long history with Bethesda, as well as how the acquisition will define the next generation of gaming. In the post, Spencer states “We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.” A handful of Bethesda games, like Fallout 76 and Wolfenstein 2 are already on Game Pass. Now, titles like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and more will be available for Game Pass subscribers on both console and PC.

With Bethesda officially joining the Xbox team, future Bethesda releases will launch on Game Pass, as is the mandate with all first-party releases from Microsoft. This means that the inevitable Fallout 5, Elder Scrolls 6, and even Starfield will be available on the subscription service on day one. 

Bethesda has quite a rich history, with notable releases from a variety of different franchises. Game Pass is already a subscription service that’s hard to deny, and adding the Bethesda library of titles will make the service irresistible to many. The news about Microsoft’s big acquisition comes just one day before the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles are set to go live for pre-order. 

There’s likely many more stories and nuggets of news to come out of Microsoft’s purchase of ZeniMax and Bethesda, so we suggest you keep it tuned to Shacknews to ensure that you don’t miss a beat.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_