2020 saw many major events occur in the video game industry, with one of the most significant and surprising being Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda Softworks. The fan-favorite developer behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout game series’ is now going to be a part of the same house as Master Chief and Minecraft. While the deal was officially made known last year, it has not technically been finalized as of yet. Ahead of the agreement’s expected conclusion later this year, Xbox head Phil Spencer has provided his thoughts on how the Bethesda acquisition will impact Microsoft and the Xbox brand.

Xbox head recently made his annual end of year appearance on the Xbox Live Major Nelson podcast, which can be heard and seen on YouTube. During the podcast, Spencer stated his excitement for the new year, with the Bethesda acquisition being a key focal point of that excitement. The Xbox boss expressed appreciation for the positive response the Bethesda acquisition deal received, not just from fans but from Bethesda’s own employees. He reflected particular gratitude for the latter by saying, “Probably more important to me right now is the Bethesda teams, because those teams are going to be very, very critical to our progress going forward.”

Spencer stated that the deal is on track to have its final approval made sometime in 2021, which is when the two companies can finally start making plans together. The deal, when finalized, will add eight new studios to Xbox, bringing their grand total to twenty-three. Until that date, however, Microsoft must take a more hands-off approach, so as to not affect the legal discussions. As Spencer states:

“I can’t wait to get it closed so that we can start working like one company. I’m incredibly excited about Starfield and a lot of other things, some announced and some not announced that they’re working on. I just think they’re going to be an incredible addition to our studios.”

While the notion has been somewhat expressed before, Spencer reiterated that Microsoft will still honor Bethesda’s exclusivity deals with PlayStation for future titles like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo after the deal takes hold. It’s good to hear from Spencer himself that everyone involved with the deal seems to be happy about it, and that 2021 should bring good things for Xbox and Bethesda fans. Hopefully, no nuclear Fallouts or dragon summonings happen before the deal closes.

What do you guys think about Xbox head Phil Spencer’s thoughts on the Bethesda acquisition? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Bethesda news, such as Microsoft’s comments stating that Bethesda games will be first or best on Xbox platforms, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!