Bethesda’s upcoming Indiana Jones game will be exclusive to Xbox and PC. Pete Hines, Bethesda’s head of global publishing, confirmed the exclusivity during the FTC v. Microsoft case today. Indiana Jones will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
All we’ve seen so far is a teaser video and no details on when the Indiana Jones game will ship, nor on what platforms until today. Hines was questioned as part of witness testimony in the FTC v. Microsoft hearing today, with the FTC’s counsel revealing that Disney had a contract for multiple consoles and that the deal was amended after Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition to be just for Xbox consoles.
Asked why Microsoft had changed Indiana Jones to an Xbox exclusive, Hines explained Bethesda liked the idea of removing the risk of game developer and bringing it to Xbox Game Pass. “The primary one in my view is what I said about reducing risk and trying to get to a degree of certainty,” said Hines. “You’re dealing with a licensor who’s going to have a ton of feedback on what you’re making, add a lot of time to your schedule.”
Microsoft also made Starfield and Redfall from Bethesda exclusive after its acquisition. The FTC argues that this behavior could carry across to Activision Blizzard games if Microsoft was to close its $68.7 billion proposed acquisition. The FTC has filed to request a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft from closing its Activision deal until the conclusion of its own administrative process.
Update, June 22nd 4:25PM ET: Article updated with additional comments from Pete Hines.
