Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Teases Future Bethesda Games

Microsoft didn't spend $7.5 billion on ZeniMax/Bethesda for its current pipeline alone--the company splashed out that giant fee because it believes in Bethesda's future games. We don't know exactly what those are, but now Xbox boss Phil Spencer has provided a tease.

In an appearance on Major Nelson's podcast, Spencer said he knows the "future roadmap" for Bethesda's game studios, and he believes it is an "incredibly exciting time."

"I have the benefit of knowing the future roadmap and having some insight into the things that have been both announced and unannounced that the teams are working on," Spencer said. "It's an incredibly exciting time for the work that Bethesda's studios are doing, as they continue with the craft of creating games and also thinking about how our medium of gaming continues to evolve and their role in that."

• Xbox Series X hands-on preview

Some of the highest-profile games in development at Bethesda's studios that we know about include Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI. Bethesda has also confirmed it's working on a third Wolfenstein game. These games will almost certainly be coming to Xbox Series X, although whether they will release on PS5 and Switch is as yet unknown.

It seemed like Obsidian Entertainment, which previously worked on Bethesda's Fallout franchise, was emulating the first-person fantasy role-playing of the Elder Scrolls series with Avowed. With Bethesda now part of Xbox and developing an official Elder Scrolls VI, however, it looks like we'll likely have multiple games like this over the next several years. We aren't complaining.

The Wolfenstein game will likely be developed by MachineGames, which developed the original, its sequel, and the standalone releases Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The latter game was co-developed by Arkane Studios. Both will soon be owned by Microsoft. But the Wolfenstein series also got a VR game, Cyberpilot, semi-recently. It's unclear if Bethesda would keep working heavily in VR after moving to Xbox Game Studios.

In addition to new games for console and PC, Bethesda has expanded its efforts on mobile, so you can expect additional titles for phones and tablets, too.

Also in the interview, Spencer spoke about why he believes Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda was a "natural" next step in their existing relationship.

"You find teams out there that are always pushing themselves and their own capability, and I fundamentally believe that the more closely we work with teams like that, the better we are as a platform," Spencer said.

At least two Bethesda-published games will still come to PS5, due to prior exclusivity contracts--Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Whether these games will make their way to Xbox Series X now eventually is unclear.

For more on Microsoft's blockbuster buyout of ZeniMax, check out our stories below.

• How Microsoft's Bethesda Purchase Stacks Up To Other Big Industry Acquisitions
• So, What Happens Now With Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield, And Bethesda's PS5 Exclusives?
• Xbox Is Primed To Reclaim Its Identity As A Console For RPGs
• A Fallout: New Vegas Sequel Is Now Possible Thanks To Microsoft