Microsoft has officially confirmed that Bethesda’s upcoming Indiana Jones game will be available exclusively on Xbox consoles and PC. The revelation came to light on the open day of Microsoft’s five-days legal dispute with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Indiana Jones game, previously known as Project Relic, was first introduced in 2021 through a short teaser trailer, generating excitement among fans of the iconic daredevil archaeologist. Developed by Bethesda and Machine Games in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, the project is still under wraps, with no further details disclosed apart from its platform exclusivity.
During the courtroom proceedings, Pete Hines, the Head of Publishing at Bethesda Softworks, faced questioning from an FTC lawyer. Hines confirmed that initially, there was a deal between Disney and Bethesda’s subsidiary ZeniMax to create an Indiana Jones game that would be released on multiple platforms. However, following Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax in 2020, the contract was renegotiated with Disney. As a result, the game will now be exclusively available on Xbox consoles and PC, with a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley inquires about the reasons behind the change in the availability of the Indiana Jones game on other platforms. Hines responds by stating that the main factor, in his opinion, was the desire to reduce risks and attain a degree of certainty. He then explains by saying, “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, you’re required to provide a release window. You immediately have a clock that’s ticking. We liked the idea of bringing it to Game Pass and all the players we could reach there.”
In addition to the Indiana Jones game, two other highly anticipated titles from Bethesda Softworks, the space action RPG Starfield and the first-person shooter Redfall, have also been confirmed as exclusives for Xbox consoles and PC.
With the UK’s CMA having previously blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in April, and now the FTC’s efforts to prevent this deal, the result of the tech giant’s pursuit hangs in the balance. As the legal battle unfolds, the outcome will undoubtedly have an impact on the trajectory of the company and potentially reshape the gaming industry as a whole.
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