Ever since Microsoft's Zenimax Media acquisition, the question of whether the Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox platform exclusive has haunted PS5 owners. Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive, much to the chagrin of PlayStation owners, but surely good guy Phil Spencer wouldn't deprive a massive, healthy platform of one of the most anticipated games of all time? Well, that's exactly what Microsoft is going to do.
That's according to a new interview with the Xbox boss at GQ, which makes it plain as day that Elder Scrolls 6 will act as a kind of cudgel against Sony's console market dominance. Of course, Spencer doesn't phrase it that way. “It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow,” he said. “But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls 6. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises.”
PC players need not fret: Microsoft releases all of its first-party games on PC day one nowadays, so short of an unexpected about-face, The Elder Scrolls 6 is definitely coming to our platform.
It makes a lot of business sense but it's still an exquisitely brutal move: Skyrim players got last week's Anniversary Edition on PlayStation, Mojang continues to update Minecraft on PlayStation, and both Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online will continue to be expanded on Sony platforms. A few lingering exclusivity deals signed between Bethesda and Sony ahead of the acquisition are still playing out too, in the form of Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.
The interview coincides with Microsoft's 20th anniversary celebrations for Xbox, which included the no-so-surprise early launch of Halo Infinite's multiplayer component. Sony offered congratulations to Xbox earlier today for the milestone, but we'll see if that good cheer is still around when Elder Scrolls 6 eventually launches.
