Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed that Xbox's highly anticipated RPG Starfield could have been PlayStation exclusive and Microsoft had purchased Zenimax to prevent that from happening.

　　While speaking with the FTC about the Activision Blizzard acquisition (via The Verge) today, we know that Spencer revealed that Sony pays competitors on a routine basis to skip Xbox. So to prevent this from happening, Microsoft felt it needed to purchase Bethesda to prevent it from being a PlayStation exclusive. Spencer had this to say about purchasing Zenimax:

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023

　　How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Joongi Han Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Tianyou Zhao Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: Starfield Direct – 45 Minute Gameplay Deep Dive

　　"When we acquired ZeniMax, one of the impetus for that is that Sony had done a deal for Deathloop and Ghostwire... to pay Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox," Spencer said. "So the discussion about Starfield when we heard that Starfield was potentially also going to end up skipping Xbox, we can't be in a position as a third-place console where we fall further behind on our content ownership, so we've had to secure content to remain viable in the business."

　　Microsoft originally purchased ZeniMax and its subsidiaries, such as Bethesda, in 2021, for $7.5 billion. Once the deal was official, it was revealed that Bethesda would release "some" games exclusive to Xbox and PC. Since then, Bethesda released Redfall as an Xbox / PC exclusive and plans to do the same with Starfield.

　　For more news on what Phil Spencer said to the FTC today, check out our story on how Spencer said that The Elder Scroll 6 doesn't have a platform yet, and is five-plus years away and how Xbox would suffer "irreparable harm" if it went back on CoD PlayStation promises.

　　Xbox Games Showcase And Starfield Direct: The Biggest Announcements

　　See More