Following its acquisition by Microsoft, Bethesda will join Xbox on stage for a joint presentation at E3 2021. The cancellation of 2020’s E3 conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to several online events held by developers and publishers in the gaming industry. However, this year Microsoft, Nintendo, and a bevy of other developers will be in attendance in the first-ever virtual E3 showcase starting June 12. Sony and EA, however, elected to opt out of E3's return in favor of their own independent gaming showcases.
Bethesda’s merger with Xbox Game Studios prompted several questions about the exclusivity of upcoming projects by the former. Starfield, the upcoming original IP from Bethesda, has yet to be officially confirmed an Xbox and PC exclusive, though it's heavily suspected. Rumors speculate the release window for Starfield to be in 2022, but there is no confirmation as of this writing. Alleged leaked in-game screenshots and an out-there rumor about a Tom Cruise role in the Bethesda game have also circulated recently, but neither Xbox nor Bethesda have confirmed anything Starfield-related.
As first reported in French outlet Le Figaro and later by Game Informer, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty reportedly confirmed that Bethesda will present alongside Xbox at E3 2021 in an interview. According to a Reddit translation (which shouldn't be taken at full face value), Booty supposedly stated that there is a focus on bringing new Bethesda content to Xbox Game Pass at launch, just like the rest of Xbox’s other first-party studios. He also says that Microsoft doesn’t infringe upon the creative freedoms of its game studios and is not looking to have games catered to Game Pass. Instead, the hope is to have a broad selection of different games to play and staying away from how Netflix analyzes streaming data.
Regardless of the Starfield rumors and leaks, the showcase will be a litmus test for the start of the Xbox Series X/S console generation. PlayStation has had a stranglehold on critically acclaimed exclusive games for the better part of a decade, so E3 2021 is Xbox’s chance to prove its investments and acquisitions will be fruitful. Bethesda aside, other first-party studios Ninja Theory and 343 Studios should have updates for Senua’s Saga: Hellbade II and Halo Infinite, respectively. Reveals or updates from the other 20 first-party studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner are also expected.
With Bethesda taking the stage with Xbox, E3 2021 could prove to be one of the more exciting shows in recent years. Hopefully, this is the year more Elder Scrolls VI news will be available. E3 isn’t the only gaming showcase this summer, however. Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest will start before E3 does on June 10, while the Guerrilla Collective indie showcase kicks off June 5.
Source: Le Figaro, Reddit (via Game Informer)