Todd Howard celebrates the purchase of Bethesda by Microsoft and takes the opportunity to unveil the technological improvements in games.
September 21 will be remembered as one of those days when history was made in the video game industry. By surprise, Microsoft announced the purchase of ZeniMax, Bethesda’s parent company, and all of its studios. The communications between both parties were not made to beg, all of them coinciding in their tone of collective joy. Todd Howard, director and producer of such well-known sagas as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, not only applauded the purchase, but also referred to Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, two of the company’s most anticipated games. The developer made it clear that technologically they will take a step forward with these productions.
“With each cycle of consoles, we evolve together. From the option to offer mods on consoles for Fallout 4, now with millions of downloads, to the introduction of cutting-edge technologies that will power Xbox Series X / S. These new systems are optimized for the vast worlds we love to create, with generation leaps not just in graphics, but CPU and streaming data as well. This brings you to our biggest graphics engine evolution since Oblivion, with all the new technologies fueling our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, but also The Elder Scrolls VI.
Todd Howard. Photo: Matt Grandstaff
Only for Xbox and PC?
Todd Howard’s statements also left some confusion, since as soon as the purchase was announced, everyone wondered if future Bethesda titles will come exclusively to Xbox and PC systems. However, Phil Spencer clarified that they would decide it case by case. Howard explained in the statement that “this is more than a system and a screen.” They share the vision that the most important thing about video games is their ability to “connect, empower and provide fun.” He also said that he believed that this type of leisure should reach all types of players, regardless of their identity, place of residence, etc.
Bethesda is already part of Xbox Game Studios after closing an operation in which they have paid 7.5 billion dollars.
