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This week's emergence of Activision-tied software on Microsoft's platforms follows a late-June launch of Quake IV's PC version on the same Xbox Insider Hub interface. That is only an educated guess at this time, as reps for Bethesda did not answer Ars' questions ahead of publication.

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It's possible that Microsoft, Activision, and Bethesda need to clear up a few small licensing quibbles ahead of the corporate triad's acquisition closure before opening the bigger floodgates to series like Call of Duty. (At any rate, we've yet to see hints of Hexen II land on the Xbox Insider Hub.) AdvertisementĪ way to taste beef Strogg-anoff once more Thus, we can't say that Steam's credit of id as a publisher of older Heretic and Hexen games is accurate, either. Adding to the confusion, id Software is listed on digital storefronts as the publisher of 1998's Hexen II, but that's technically incorrect-even though, at one point, that game was on sale on the now-defunct Bethesda Launcher. However, Activision acquired those games' developers at Raven Software in 1997, and as part of the deal, Activision took over all ownership rights for the combined Heretic and Hexen series. If you look up this week's Heretic and Hexen games at digital storefronts, they list id Software as a publisher-and once Microsoft owned id as part of the Bethesda acquisition, you'd think that's where this topic starts and ends. Which made us wonder: Was it a matter of crossed licensing wires? This was arguably due to the service's focus on consoles, which would preclude ancient PC-only games, but over the following months, the PC-specific Game Pass tier never got a taste of specific games.

When Microsoft acquired Bethesda and its subsidiary publishers and developers in late 2020, the resulting addition of Bethesda-tied games on Xbox Game Pass, a seeming flex of newly owned licenses, wasn't complete. Rather, the Heretic and Hexen games are notable due to residing in publishing-related limbo for years. (The original Quake was poised to deliver similar systems before its developers discarded such aspirations in the face of developmental pressure and crunch.) And they remain highly recommended FPS classics wherever you purchase and play them, as they injected the kinds of fantasy and RPG-related perks that the genre desperately needed during their '90s heyday. A welcome return to the Dome of D'Sparilīut that's not why we're here after all, the same antiquated builds had been for sale at storefronts like GOG and Steam for years.

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These games, including the two earliest Elder Scrolls adventures and three fantasy-tinged shooters from the combined Heretic and Hexen series, would need to be accessed through the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs, as they were 'previews' meant to solicit 'feedback.' Joining the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows PCs is free and does not require a Game Pass subscription, which means these games are now free to download for participating members (at least until MS revokes their availability on the Insider Hub). This appears to be related to Microsoft's planned $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard's vast catalog of game publishing and development properties.Ī Thursday announcement from Microsoft's Xbox division confirmed that five 'Bethesda' video games were now available on modern Windows PCs via the Microsoft Store, albeit through an unusual path. The bottom-line good news: Four underappreciated classics from the id Software universe are closer to a broader re-release and are currently free to download. These two philosophies collided this week, leaving us feeling a bit dizzy. While we at Ars Technica don't necessarily cheer the moments when giant gaming conglomerates swallow up other giant gaming conglomerates, we also have a faction that champions efforts to preserve and re-release classic video games.

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