Pete Hines, head of publishing at Bethesda Softworks, said at a Microsoft and Activision Blizzard Federal Trade Commission meeting that the upcoming Indiana Jones game will only be available on Xbox consoles and PC. The game is also anticipated to be available on Xbox Game Pass upon launch.
Bethesda announced the development of the project in 2021, just months after Microsoft disclosed its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media (which Bethesda is a subsidiary of). This agreement was finalized in March 2021.
Machinegames, the developer of the most recent Wolfenstein games, is creating the game under the Lucasfilm Games label of Disney. No release date or platform details were provided at that time. During his court testimony in San Francisco, Hines disclosed new information about Indiana Jones’ platform exclusivity.
Hines disclosed that ZeniMax’s original contract with Disney would have facilitated the release of the Indiana Jones video game on multiple consoles. The FTC attorney added that Disney had “questions” regarding console exclusivity after Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax was announced, despite the signed agreement. Hines confirmed that the contract was subsequently modified to make Indiana Jones an Xbox exclusive.
Did you know that Microsoft is raising the pricing of its Xbox Series X consoles and Game Pass subscription service all around the world? In the United States, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia, the price of the console will remain intact, but the rest of the world will see a price increase to match the PS5’s recent global price increase:
Hines subsequently clarified that Bethesda inked the agreement with Disney prior to Microsoft’s acquisition. He stated that Bethesda was an independent publisher that “couldn’t afford to miss” opportunities while competing against “multiple times larger publishers.” He confirmed that Disney desired the reach to be “as large as possible,” and that Bethesda felt obligated to meet this demand.
That changed after the Microsoft acquisition. Hines stated that there were multiple reasons for this change, including the number of users it would attract to the Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft and Bethesda are also attempting to “reduce risk” associated with fulfilling the licensor’s requirements.
Hines related this to a topic he previously discussed regarding the “irresponsibly large game,” in which Bethesda benefited from the game’s ability to be supported on fewer platforms. Last year, the game’s executive producer, Todd Howard, described the Indiana Jones game as a “bucket list” endeavor.
The notoriety of the film franchise is undeniable, but there have been few Indiana Jones video games released since 2009, with the exception of Lego adaptations. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings was released on Wii and PlayStation 2 in the same year.