Bethesda’s Indiana Jones Game Confirmed as Xbox Console Exclusive
During the opening day of Microsoft’s legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission, Bethesda’s publishing boss Pete Hines confirmed that the upcoming Indiana Jones game will be an Xbox console exclusive.
Hines revealed that before Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, Disney had a signed agreement with Bethesda’s parent company Zenimax to release the Indiana Jones game on multiple consoles.
However, after Microsoft’s acquisition, Disney raised concerns about the consoles on which the game would be released. As a result, Bethesda amended the agreement, making the game an exclusive for Xbox and PC, with a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.
About the Indiana Jones Game
The Indiana Jones game was announced in January 2021 and is being developed by MachineGames, the Swedish studio known for the modern Wolfenstein games.
Exclusivity Decisions
Since joining Microsoft, Bethesda has honored previous exclusivity agreements with PlayStation for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. However, they have made other titles, including Redfall and Starfield, Xbox console exclusives.
Hines stated in court that Bethesda now makes exclusivity decisions on a case-by-case basis. He mentioned that releasing games exclusively on Xbox allows for streamlined development and reduces risk since they only need to focus on one platform.
“You go to fewer platforms, your development gets more streamlined,” he said. “It just needs to run as well as possible on one box, on PC. You know, a narrow focus always helps.”
According to Hines, this was the main reason for making Indiana Jones an Xbox console exclusive.
He explained that partnering with a licensor like Disney adds complexity and time to the development process. Bringing the game to Xbox Game Pass allows Bethesda to reach a wide audience while streamlining development and ensuring a more certain release window.
Hines also stated that if Starfield were releasing on multiple consoles, it would not be able to meet its planned release date. Releasing exclusively on Xbox enables them to stick to their schedule.
