Xbox is reportedly putting on a Bethesda showcase next month in March
This would be shortly after the Microsoft-Bethesda acquisition is reviewed by EU regulators
Microsoft could be gearing up to host an event focused on their Bethesda acquisition, it's been claimed.
The claim comes from Games Beat journalist Jeff Grubb, who said as much in the Games Beat Decides podcast over the past weekend. "I don’t know if it will be a full, Direct-style event, but they will make note about it and they will talk about it extensively, explain what it means for everybody and talk about the immediate future of both companies becoming one," Grubb said of the unannounced event.
"So yeah, expect that to happen sometime in mid-March," Grubb concluded. Elsewhere, the journalist revealed that this was one of Microsoft's "milestones" for new information before E3 2021, which is currently slated to take place in a digital capacity in June 2021 (the event was outright canceled last year in June 2020).
There's a key reason that Microsoft could be holding off until a Bethesda-centric event until next month in March. Earlier this month, it was reported that Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda would be undergoing review in the European Union on March 5, which regulators deciding whether the deal could go ahead. If the deal is given the green light, this would be the final hurdle for Microsoft to overcome before the deal can officially go through, thus there'd be no hesitations about holding an event to reveal new details about the acquisition.
There's been nothing but positive comments on the deal so far from both Microsoft and Bethesda. Since the deal went through in September 2020, Dishonored director Harvey Smith said the two companies "fit perfectly" together, while Xbox boss Phil Spencer believes that the company will become an RPG powerhouse once the acquisition goes through.
For all the information we have so far on what is surely Bethesda's most anticipated game in development, head over to our Elder Scrolls 6 guide for more.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.