Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has claimed that Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda was motivated by a fear that Sony might incentivize the studio to "skip our platform".
While providing testimony at the ongoing court battle between Microsoft and the US Federal Trade Commission over the former's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Spencer voiced his concern that when it came to Starfield, Sony might "pay Bethesda not to ship [the game] to Xbox" (via The Verge). Spencer cited Sony's initial exclusivity deals for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, claiming that these were a major "impetus" for the acquisition of ZeniMax – Bethesda's parent company.
