After cutting three percent of its workforce worldwide in May this year, a new wave of layoffs has hit the company. The Seattle Times reported roughly 9,100 employees affected across all of Microsoft, with the overall impact on its Gaming Division unknown. Bloomberg did note that King, based in Stockholm, and ZeniMax Media’s European offices were affected (with the former losing about 200 employees). However, at the time, the full scale of the cuts was unknown in the United States.

As time passed, it became clear that this wasn’t just a series of layoffs but an all-out bloodbath. Everwild, Perfect Dark and ZeniMax Online Studios’ next MMO, codenamed Blackbird, have reportedly been cancelled. The Initiative has been closed. Rare will allegedly undergo restructuring and see layoffs. Undead Labs, currently working on State of Decay 3, has reportedly faced layoffs (though how extensive is unknown). Turn 10 Studios saw over 70 layoffs, according to The Verge, effectively reducing its staff by almost 50 percent (which is apparently enough to keep Forza Motorsport going).

At the time of writing, it’s unknown whether ZeniMax Online Studios will see layoffs because the overall handling of the process has been, to put it simply, embarrassing. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier noted that staff who worked on Blackbird were locked out of their Slack accounts without any warning from HR. Leadership and HR have also yet to confirm their job statuses, though they can still use their official work emails and Microsoft Teams (and no, I won’t make the joke).

The way it’s been handled is unequivocally horrendous, but it’s not just in the United States. King’s London and Berlin offices, alongside their remote workers, have also allegedly been hit, according to MobileGamer.biz. Though they noted how it wasn’t very surprising, the process has still “been handled very poorly.”

Back in the US, not even those working on the Call of Duty franchise are safe. Insider Gaming reported layoffs to Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software, with the actual number yet to be known. And yes, Raven is working on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 alongside Treyarch. High Moon Studios, which serves as a support studio on Call of Duty: Warzone, has also seen layoffs. Halo Studios is also reportedly seeing layoffs – one alleged employee worked on Halo Infinite for the past four years to turn around, quote, “that burning dumpster of a live service.” There aren’t any reports about South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games, but one former employee recently posted on LinkedIn about seeking a new role, having worked at the studio since June 2024.

You’re probably wondering at this point, “Is that all?” Well, no. According to The Verge, the Xbox user research team has also been “hit hard.” For those unaware, it’s a team that “focuses on ensuring quality across Xbox games, the platform, and developer tools.” Windows Central reports that QA in Activision and Blizzard have also been affected, alongside marketing and sales teams. If that isn’t enough, Xbox’s head of family and child safety is also gone.

If we’re talking about senior positions, ZeniMax Online Studios president Matt Firor is leaving after over 18 years, while sources told VGC that Gregg Mayles and Louise O’Connor will be leaving Rare. Mayles has spent over 35 years at the studio and is best known for Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves (and was also directing Everwild after the reported 2021 reboot). O’Connor has also been at the studio for quite some time, having worked on Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and is also gone after the cancellation of Everwild.

And I would say, “That’s it for now,” but no one, not even Microsoft since this is their fourth set of layoffs in about 18 months, could possibly know. It’s been, for all intents and purposes, a bloodbath. But you know who thinks all of this is the best decision and the one that will position the brand for continued success? Why, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, of course!

Before news of all these cancellations and layoffs fully circulated, Spencer sent out a note (obtained by Windows Central), stating, “To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness.” However, in the next paragraph, he admits that all of this is happening, while, “We have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger.” So what gives?

Spencer continues, “The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years, and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate efforts on areas with the greatest potential while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.”

He offered the usual spiel for those let go – “We would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted,” “These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved” (which is one way of saying, “It’s not you, it’s me”). But perhaps the most notable is, “Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.” So naturally, the obvious next step is to lay off those workers to thank them for their work thus far. The worst part about the note is how “the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.” This seemingly indicates that more layoffs and cancellations are coming.

As annoying as all this is, Xbox Game Studios’ Matt Booty followed with an internal email confirming the cancellation of Perfect Dark and Everwild and the winding down of “several unannounced projects” (which seemingly includes ZeniMax Online’s Blackbird). “These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape,” said Booty. “We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.”

However, he then goes on to note that the overall plan remains “unchanged,” which is to “build games that excite our players, continue to grow our biggest franchises, and create new stories, worlds, and characters.” There are apparently over 40 projects in “active development” and “continued momentum” on games launching this Fall (and no, we don’t know of any new titles outside of The Outer Worlds 2). Furthermore, it has a “strong slate” going into the next year.

What is the point of this section other than to inspire confidence among those left that Microsoft isn’t dying anytime soon or perhaps no further cancellations are on the way? Thinking back to the end of Spencer’s note, now might not be the right time to brag about “continued momentum.” Then again, Booty is the one who looked at rumors about Perfect Dark’s troubled development and said, “It’s quite the opposite.” He also called reports of Everwild’s development rebooting in 2021 as “a little extreme” than what really happened. Do I expect any executive in such a position to be candid and admit fault? Well, no, but then again, I also don’t expect to hear about all the wonderful things Xbox has in the works after my colleagues and co-workers lost their jobs.

So, with all that out of the way, Microsoft’s tally for layoffs in 2025 sits at over 15,000 employees thus far. The real question, at least for the time being, is: What hasn’t been cancelled? Apparently, everything from the recent Xbox Games Showcase (conveniently enough) is safe, according to Windows Central. It’s also been suggested that the company’s next-gen console plans “remain unaffected.” You know, the one part of the Gaming Division’s revenues that have seen constant declines. Then again, I don’t know if you can boast about the revenue from content and services too much since Call of Duty and Minecraft (followed by Game Pass) contributed heavily to the same.

Taking a step back, it’s easy to look at all this and simply blame Microsoft. And make no mistake – it really is that easy, considering Spencer and crew have been at the helm for some of the company’s biggest failings. The closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and Alpha Dog Studios. Increasing the price of major first-party games to $80. Declining hardware revenue. Multiple years with no games to offer loyal fans. High-profile disappointments, like Halo Infinite at launch and Redfall.

Depending on who you ask, even releasing first-party titles to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, which proved financially successful, was viewed as the company admitting defeat in the console wars. Which, going by the numbers, should be a given. You may think that the cancellations of Everwild and Perfect Dark are justified, given years of troubled development.

Yet Microsoft oversaw both studios and dozens of others. When a 2022 report emerged about a toxic work environment at Undead Labs under its new studio head and HR head, leading to numerous departures and stalled development on State of Decay 3, Microsoft was specifically called out for not acting sooner.

In the past, Phil Spencer has admitted that upper management was hands-off, leaving studios to their own machinations – which was the reason (among many) why Redfall shipped in its sorry state. He then claimed that the team did “a better job” helping with Bethesda’s Starfield, but even if you’re a fan of it, there’s no denying the bugs, glitches, crashes, and quality-of-life issues that it shipped with (after delays, at that).

However, if we’re outlining everything that Microsoft has done wrong with the Xbox brand, you could go all the way back to 2013 (and some people have), pointing to Microsoft effectively nailing its own coffin shut with how it presented the Xbox One. Even after backtracking on Kinect, always-online requirements, used-game ownership and a focus on TV media, it was still effectively sent to die against the PS4 later that year. Some may even go back further and blame its focus on Gears of War, Forza, and Halo – the top three, as it were – and the inability to nurture new franchises, which prompted the acquisition of Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, Playground Games and many more in the years to come.

Whether that acquisition-fueled mayhem and the less-than-stellar returns are to blame or not, this process of acquiring studios and then shuttering them after however many years isn’t all that surprising. Flashback to 2021, when Sarah Bond, then-head of Game Creator Experiences and Ecosystem at Xbox, reflected on shutting down Lionhead Studios in 2016 after acquiring it in 2006. “What did we learn, and how do we not repeat our same mistakes?” Spencer followed up by stating, “You acquire a studio for what they’re great at now, and your job is to help them accelerate how they do what they do, not them accelerate what you do.” Based on everything that’s happened, it seems that leadership at Microsoft Gaming and Xbox Game Studios has a long way to go.

Many players are still wondering why Spencer – and other leadership figures like Matt Booty – are still in charge, given the brand’s failures over the past several years. We’ve heard Xbox president Sarah Bond talking about a new multi-year partnership with AMD across “a portfolio of devices,” including next-generation Xbox consoles, where one of the stated goals was to deliver “immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI.”

However, Microsoft signed a deal with OpenAI in 2019, though Business Insider reported tensions between the two companies, casting some doubts on whether their partnership can last until 2030. That being said, Microsoft has still invested a whopping $13 billion into it thus far. All that money has to come from somewhere, and unfortunately, we may be seeing the result of that.

Of course, that still doesn’t excuse the current direction of Xbox – whatever that may currently be. Yes, Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Sea of Thieves are successful on PlayStation 5. And while I was somewhat optimistic about Microsoft taking a multi-centric approach to offering its games on numerous platforms, I still don’t understand the whole “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign.

Or why the company had to tie up with Meta to release a $500 Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition in limited supplies when none of its titles supports VR. As great a deal as Game Pass has been for the company, it hasn’t seen anywhere near the level of growth in the past few years as when it first began. The amount that Microsoft is investing in it continues to grow, however, and even if it’s helping many players discover brand-new titles, the argument that it’s effectively cannibalizing first-party sales will never truly go away.

The industry as a whole has faced unprecedented instability since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, with layoffs regularly happening as early as 2023. As perhaps the biggest games publisher in the world, Microsoft is no stranger to mass cuts – look no further than 2014 when it cut 18,000 employees, though that primarily affected the Nokia division. And while it may have a pretty impressive line-up of titles to come, Laura Fryer, one of the founding members of the original Xbox team, recently said it best.

“What is the long-term plan? Where are the new hits? What will make people care about the Xbox 25 years from now?” She noted that with the 25th anniversary of Xbox approaching in 2026, perhaps it’s “the year that the fog will clear and all of us will see the beauty in these latest announcements.” Whether that will be the case or not, the dark cloud currently hanging over Microsoft and its Gaming Division isn’t going away any time soon.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The full extent of cuts across studios in the United States is unknown, but things are expected to become clearer in the coming days. The Seattle Times reports that as much as four percent (or about 9100) of Microsoft’s total workforce will face layoffs.

In an internal note obtained by Windows Central, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told staff, “To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.”

Spencer also recognized that layoffs are occurring “when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger.” However, he attributes the company’s current success to “tough decisions we’ve made previously.”

“We must make choices now for continued success in future years, and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate efforts on areas with the greatest potential while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

“Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.”

Those impacted will receive severance benefits and “job placement resources,” though Spencer encouraged them to “explore open positions” at Microsoft Gaming, where they will receive “priority review.”

This is far from the first instance of layoffs from Microsoft in recent years. In January 2024, it cut 1,900 jobs in its Gaming Division after completing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Last May, it cut three percent of its total workforce across all regions, reportedly affecting 6,000 jobs.

Smith said it turned out to be a good thing due to focusing on fewer consoles and having a large player base on Game Pass. As the dispute between Microsoft and Sony over Call of Duty exclusivity continues, it certainly added more fuel to the fire.

In response, a Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot, “We haven’t pulled any games from PlayStation. In fact, we’ve expanded our footprint of games that we’ve shipped on Sony’s PlayStation since we acquired ZeniMax, and the first two games we shipped after closing were PlayStation 5 exclusives [Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo].

“We did the same thing since our closing of Minecraft as we extended the reach of that franchise. All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation and PC. We have always said that future decisions on whether to distribute ZeniMax games for other consoles will be made on a case-by-case basis.”

While a PS5 version may have been in the works, whether it was cancelled immediately after ZeniMax’s acquisition is unknown. Furthermore, it’s in keeping with policy that Microsoft stated at the time of acquisition regarding future titles. Such is the case with Redfall, though it doesn’t do the company any favors in the current public eye.

Redfall is out on May 2nd for Xbox Series X/S and PC and launches on day one on Game Pass. Arkane says the looter shooter will be its “most supported game post-launch” with no microtransactions or in-game store. We’ll wait and see if that’s the case in the coming months.

Pointed out by the Twitter user SkullziTV, it seems Bethesda recently filed a trademark application for a supposed new game currently in development. Called SpyTeam, the trademark has been filed by ZeniMax Media Inc, the parent company of Bethesda. The trademark has been filed for 2022, so maybe the development studio might be gearing up for its reveal this year.

This is not the first time the name “SpyTeam” has been the spotted, as in 2020, the same user speculated that the rumoured game in development – supposedly at Bethesda Game Studios’ Montreal and Austin teams – could be called SpyTeam, if trademark filings were anything to go by. You can see the relevant tweet below. For now though, all we can do is wait for Bethesda to officially confirm whether or not this project is what it seems to be.

https://twitter.com/skullzitv/status/1500466460073906180?s=21

https://twitter.com/SkullziTV/status/1327609904429998080?s=19

We don’t yet know what’s in the works at id Software currently, although a current job opening might suggest something along the lines of yet another new DOOM game (not that we are complaining). As listed on ZeniMax’s Careers page, id Software is looking for a combat designer who has extensive knowledge of “recent id games, including DOOM and DOOM Eternal.”

Additionally, the opening also requires applicants to preferably have a background in mod or indie development. It might also be possible that a Quake revival could be in the works, but it’s hard to ascertain that at the moment. Either way, fans can most likely expect to hear a formal announcement for the studio’s next game in the hopefully not-too-distant-future.

Running Fallout 3 on a modern Windows 10 equipped system requires players to tinker with a bunch of files in order to bypass the requirement, so it’s great that fans are now relieved of the many tensions that accompany playing this game. Why Bethesda patched the game after so long remains a mystery though.

Bethesda Game Studios is currently hard at work on the upcoming space RPG Starfield, which has been in development for a long time now. It’s been recently confirmed that the game will have over 150,000 lines of dialogue, and will of course be exclusive to Xbox platforms. The developer’s other project, The Elder Scrolls 6, is still in a design phase, and it’ll be quite the wait before fans get a glimpse of the game.

One key issue that’s arisen since Microsoft announced its acquisition of ZeniMax Media has been the timed exclusivity deals for Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo. Both titles will launch for PS5 and remain exclusive to the platform (the former for at least one year) so what’s the current situation? Same as before, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer

Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer said that the company would honor Bethesda’s PS5 exclusivity agreement with Sony. However, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier noted Spencer stating that “future Bethesda games will be on Xbox, PC, and ‘other consoles on a case by case basis’.” This lends more credence to the idea of certain titles being exclusive to Xbox Series consoles, even if for a limited time.

Time will tell but Spencer has already confirmed that Bethesda titles will launch on Xbox Game Pass on the same day as their console and PC versions. Future titles can also be expected on the service with Starfield being hinted at as a potential candidate. As for other titles, time will tell so stay tuned in the coming months.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are slated to launch on November 10th worldwide. Both consoles will be available to pre-order today for $499 and $299 respectively.

To answer the question everyone is asking: Phil Spencer tells @dinabass that Xbox plans to honor the PS5 exclusivity commitment for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Future Bethesda games will be on Xbox, PC, and "other consoles on a case by case basis." https://t.co/Agyttr53LO

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) September 21, 2020

Bethesda’s Pete Hines has clarified that the company will still publish its own games. Todd Howard talked about the trajectory of Microsoft and Bethesda, the partnership that both have shared over decades – from Morrowind coming to Xbox and Oblivion coming to Xbox 360 to Fallout 4 having support for mods on the Xbox One – and everyone sharing the “belief that expanding the reach of gaming was fundamental, whether it was on a PC, console, your phone, or the cloud.”

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way – this opens up The Elder Scrolls 6 to being on Xbox Game Pass at launch (Starfield has seemingly been confirmed), increasing the service’s value immensely. In fact, this significantly augments other areas where Microsoft may have been lacking. It now has a second blockbuster shooter in DOOM to lean on. It has a fairly strong subscription-based MMO with The Elder Scrolls Online. It has several interesting new IPs that it could make new games for, like The Evil Within, Prey, Wolfenstein and Dishonored. It also has Fallout 76 for…something. And though we haven’t seen it on a huge scale yet, it opens up the potential for widespread collaboration with other Xbox Game Studios.

What’s especially more interesting is that Microsoft will honor the timed exclusivity agreement for Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo on PS5 but future titles will be on Xbox, PC and “other consoles on a case by case basis.” This means that it could pull an UNO Reverse card and have timed exclusivity for Bethesda’s titles on Xbox Series X and S. It could have special benefits only available to Xbox or Game Pass players (which it’s already doing with games like Phantasy Star Online 2). If the company were really serious, it could make The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield exclusive to the Xbox Series consoles and PC, end of story. Heck, you may see Skyrim Ultimate Edition at some point with ray-tracing and 120 frames support exclusive to the Xbox Series consoles, either permanently or as a timed deal.

It’s also kind of crazy to think that Microsoft doesn’t just own clones of Bethesda-style games like The Outer Worlds and the upcoming Avowed – it also owns the original games. You could look at it is diluting its portfolio with the same types of games or offering more variety to those who want it. Regardless, the consumer wins and Microsoft wins by default due to owning all of these IPs.

The acquisition could also present significant ramifications on the quality of Bethesda titles. We may see more extensive bug testing and delays to ensure maximum polish. We could see multi-platform games running better on Xbox Series consoles, purely on the basis of the developers having access to more resources to optimize their games better. There may even be instances where certain games receive unforeseen improvements, like inXile’s Wasteland 3 having full voice-acting thanks to Microsoft’s support.

The modding scene could also be significantly impacted. Given how popular mods are with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout communities, and how Obsidian is reportedly looking into mod support for Avowed, we could see Xbox becoming the prime destination for console mods. What impact mods will face with these games being available on Windows Store or requiring Xbox Live login even on Steam remains to be seen.

Of course, there is a somber way to look at all this as well. Bethesda was one of the biggest publishers in the gaming industry. With this acquisition, the industry as a whole is becoming more consolidated, which means that sooner or later, developers will have to look into throwing in their lot with one big company or another. And while certain Bethesda titles being exclusive to Xbox is a huge win for Microsoft, it could hurt PlayStation fans in the process. Not that Sony wasn’t doing its best to stick it to Xbox for the past several months, especially if rumors about the publisher negotiating for timed exclusivity with Starfield on PS5 are correct. Microsoft is essentially evening the score, but PS5 consumers may suffer as a result.

Then again, despite all these cutthroat business deals being made, it’s not like both companies won’t benefit. Microsoft could make Starfield available on the PS5 at the same time as Xbox Series X and S and PC. While it has to pay console license fees to Sony, it benefits from the revenue of selling more units. Both companies win but Microsoft could potentially draw more players over to its brand. “Would you really like to pay $70 for The Elder Scrolls 6?” it may ask after you complete Starfield. “Why not pick up an Xbox Series S and Game Pass and enjoy it for cheaper? There are a bunch of other games to enjoy as well.”

It’s also worth noting that we likely won’t see the true impact of this deal for years to come, much like with Microsoft’s other studio acquisitions. The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield are still years off, the former more than the latter. Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo will be PS5-console exclusive until 2022 at least. It’s the future that Microsoft is looking at – the company is preparing for a marathon, and not just a short sprint, aiming to increase engagement over the long run instead of selling as many consoles as possible in the opening few months. Granted, this takes time but for better or worse, Microsoft has indeed taken steps to widen its first-party portfolio with must-play games from high-profile studios.

Whatever your stance on all of this, it’s a given that the industry will never be the same again. But one has to also beg the question: If ZeniMax Media was open to acquisition, who else could be next? Larian Studios to corner the market on western RPGs? Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which Microsoft was reportedly interested in acquiring and may have done so if parent company WarnerMedia didn’t have second thoughts? Electronic Arts, which has had a great reputation with the company for years and recently confirmed that EA Play would be included with Game Pass?

How will Sony respond? It already has a number of great first party titles coming and would likely look into picking up more studios. Perhaps it will sign even crazier third-party deals, that is, when Japanese developers aren’t already flocking to get their games on the console. You have to believe that Microsoft is anticipating all of this and will make its own moves in response. It’s an interesting back and forth exchange with neither letting up, perhaps leading to the most memorable console generation yet and the industry as a whole evolving. The possibilities, and their consequences, are endless and we can’t wait to see what happens next.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

In an announcement no one really expected (ever), Microsoft has acquired ZeniMax Media which includes Bethesda Softworks and all of its companies. This throws a huge wrench into the upcoming next-gen console war especially with Bethesda-published titles like Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo being timed exclusive to PS5. But according to Todd Howard, known for series like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, the trajectory of both companies has gone “hand in hand” in many ways throughout the years.

“From our beginning, we had primarily been a PC developer. In 1999, two things happened. One, Bethesda became part of a brand-new startup – ZeniMax Media. And Microsoft started development of their first video game console – The Xbox. I can remember my first trip to Redmond to discuss the new system and bringing our next game, Morrowind, to the Xbox.”

Howard had his doubts about the game running on the console but “Microsoft and their new Xbox crew had a view, that I came to share completely. Shouldn’t we allow anyone to have this experience? Why does it matter where the screen is or what the controller is? There are many people without the same access, and we can bring it to them. Morrowind would go on to become one of the best-selling Xbox games of all time, behind Halo, another PC style game some said wouldn’t work. Its success paved the way for the growth of our company, and proved the point – people wanted this experience, regardless of device.”

From there, the two companies collaborated on a number of projects from Oblivion coming to Xbox 360 to mods coming to consoles in Fallout 4. “With each new console cycle, we evolved together. From bringing mods to consoles with Fallout 4, now over a billion downloads, to the latest technologies fueling Xbox Series X/S. These new systems are optimized for the vast worlds we love to create, with generational leaps not just in graphics, but CPU and data streaming as well. It’s led to our largest engine overhaul since Oblivion, with all new technologies powering our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, as well as The Elder Scrolls 6.”

Howard also believes that this deal is “about more than one system or one screen. We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower, and bring joy. And a belief we should bring that to everyone – regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you play on. Regardless of the screen size, the controller, or your ability to even use one.

“We can’t think of a better group of people to do that with than those at Xbox. We have friendships that go back to those original days. From Phil to his senior leaders to developer support, they don’t just talk about putting players first, they passionately live it.”

Of course, the ramifications of Microsoft now owning Bethesda is that numerous titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 could be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. However, it also means that the various companies under ZeniMax Media can benefit from the technical know-how and knowledge on next-gen that Microsoft can provide. Furthermore, it allows them to leverage more resources – like inXile’s Wasteland 3 which got fully voice-acted dialogue thanks to Microsoft’s involvement.

We’ll have to wait and see where things lead so stay tuned for more details. At the very least, Bethesda’s Pete Hines says the company will continue to publish its own games.

The long running, protracted legal affair between ZeniMax Media (the owners of Bethesda and id Software) and Facebook and Oculus over the latter allegedly using proprietary VR technical information of the latter’s has come to an end. Today, ZeniMax Media announced that the two companies had settled out of court, in exchange for ZeniMax dropping all claims.

In a statement which made the announcement, ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman also noted that the company will always engage in litigation when necessary to defend its intellectual property.

“We are pleased that a settlement has been reached and are fully satisfied by the outcome,” said Altman. “While we dislike litigation, we will always vigorously defend against any infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties.”

The case was basically revolving around former id mastermind John Carmack apparently having worked on some VR tech and concepts while in ZeniMax’s employee, and on their payroll, which he then proceeded to take to Oculus with him when he joined. It was likely that ZeniMax was going to win the proceedings, especially because a court already ruled in their favor, causing Oculus to take the case to appeals, which I suspect is one of the reasons that Facebook may have wanted to settle.