The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an injunction earlier this month to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and the parties have gone to trial over the same. In the cross-examination (via IGN), Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty was asked about PlayStation versions of titles like Deathloop, The Outer Worlds and Ghostwire: Tokyo.
While Booty said that Bethesda committed to Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo before its acquisition by Microsoft, he was asked whether The Outer Worlds 2 would be an Xbox exclusive. According to Booty, a “decision has not been made”, but Microsoft tends to support established communities for franchises on other platforms (as seen with Minecraft and The Elder Scrolls Online).
Announced at E3 2021 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, the sequel hasn’t received any official updates. Booty’s statement doesn’t confirm a PlayStation version, but it could release later with Microsoft’s platforms receiving priority. As such, with reports that it allegedly started development in 2019, it may have been planned for PlayStation before the acquisition of Bethesda in 2020.
The concern comes after the FTC pointed to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda and making several titles, like Starfield, exclusive to Xbox as “powerful evidence” to oppose its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Stay tuned for more updates as the trial rolls on.
