The company tried to justify itself in a strange way.

Microsoft continues to defend its right to acquire Activision Blizzard before the British regulator. During the hearing, the company tried to explain why it was not going to release The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield on PlayStation.

The corporation filed a 111-page document arguing in favor of approving the takeover. Microsoft included in it a table dividing its games into several categories – niche, new franchises and projects without a precise audience, medium and mass.

The Elder Scrolls VI has reached its penultimate chapter. According to the corporation, it is more profitable to make such projects exclusive, and this allegedly will not harm the competitor’s platform. The company points out that Skyrim, the previous installment in the series, was released almost 11 years ago. Therefore, the absence of TES VI on PlayStation will not be a reason for dissatisfaction with the audience.

At the same time, the company is silent on several facts at once. The Elder Scrolls is one of the cult franchises, which did not lose fans during the absence of new parts. And Skyrim continues to be extremely popular. This action-RPG got a lot of reprints, and last fall, its circulation exceeded 30 million copies sold. The game continues to be bought, including on PlayStation.

Microsoft used similar strange arguments to explain the exclusivity of other Bethesda Softworks projects. The absence of Starfield on PlayStation is justified by the fact that it is a series. However, a project from the creators of TES and Fallout would have been a success on Sony’s platform under any circumstances. The same goes for Fallout 76, which has an audience of over 13 million people who have subscribed to niche games.

What is known about The Elder Scrolls VI

• The sixth part of the series was announced at E3 2018 with a vague teaser. It showed an unknown location and a city in the distance.
• Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard said in late June that the game is in the design stage.
• According to numerous rumors, The Elder Scrolls VI takes place in two provinces of Tamriel – Hammerfell and High Roke.
• The release date of the game is currently unknown. But if we rely on Bethesda’s production cycle, then it will appear only in 2025, or even in 2026.