A couple of days ago, we marked the eighth anniversary of Bethesda’s now-infamous teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6. In all that time, we heard not a peep, save for Todd Howard’s passing remarks here and there. It’s gotten to a point where we can’t say for sure that the game even exists, given how Bethesda’s been focusing on its other projects.
But according to a new report, XBOX chief Asha Sharma wishes to see development on core franchises expedited, with particular focus on Bethesda’s blockbuster IPs. According to Reuters, Sharma “plans to increase spending to accelerate development of new XBOX titles from its most successful franchises,” with Fallout and The Elder Scrolls mentioned by name.
Microsoft’s chief gaming division has been struggling to hit the high margins requested by its corporate level, and so it would make sense for it to try and focus on the biggest names to start turning a significant profit. That same report by Reuters also mentions how Microsoft is looking at options for XBOX going forward, including spinning it off or restructuring it into a directly owned entity that’d be “easier to sell.”
A lot of money was bet on XBOX’s gaming performance, with the Activision-Blizzard acquisition alone costing over $69 billion. Another $20 billion was apparently invested into the company over the past few years, though profits are down $500 million year-on-year.
As it returns to console exclusivity, publishing what’s probably the biggest fantasy franchise of all time sometime soon, and solely on XBOX, would surely embolden its position against Sony, which is becoming dormant as the most dominant force in the console market and among first-party-oriented publishers.
Bethesda’s Starfield failed to make a name for itself, and Fallout 76 definitely isn’t the global live-service phenomenon that the company would want it to be. A new Elder Scrolls or mainline Fallout entry could go a long way, as would Halo and other in-house IPs.
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