Phil Spencer Confirms Starfield Was Potentially Going to Skip Xbox Prior to ZeniMax Acquisition
Starfield is coming out as an Xbox console exclusive this September, but there was a time when things almost took a different turn.
On the witness stand as part of today’s trial between Microsoft/Activision Blizzard and the FTC, Xbox chief Phil Spencer discussed Starfield’s possible skipping of Xbox consoles ahead of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax. admitted that there was
This part of Spencer’s testimony was filled with questions about third-party exclusivity deals, with Xbox chiefs saying that Sony had a deal with Square Enix to keep Final Fantasy 16 as an exclusive title for the PlayStation 5 console. He also admitted that he was tied up.
Spencer said Xbox “needs to do a lot of work with a lot of partners given the competitive landscape with the market leaders,” referring to Sony. He also said he was concerned about losing Starfield after seeing Bethesda titles such as. Spencer said Xbox needs to secure content for its platform with its Bethesda acquisition in order to “stay in business.”
In 2020, when Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Bethesda, journalist Imran Khan first reported on Starfield’s potential PlayStation monopoly. write in “Sony was negotiating a timed exclusivity for Starfield just a few months ago. , reports began to surface that Starfield would be exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S.
We are currently in the second day of a trial that could decide the fate of Xbox’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. To stay on top of all the news, check out our day one recap and what to expect on the way to the rest.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over 7 years of experience in the games industry and has written byline articles for IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
