Bethesda has surprised us today, by announcing that the Bethesda.net launcher will close its doors, permanently, and that it will also do so as soon as next May. A movement that, in addition, although not explicitly mentioned in the company’s official communication, also means the end of the online store offered until now by the company, and in which users have been able to purchase both games and elements, such as currency. virtual for some of its titles.
Obviously, the plan is for no one to lose their games with the disappearance of the launcher for PC and, with it, the Bethesda online store. Thus, and although the steps of the process have not yet been finalized, it has been announced that users will be able to migrate absolutely everything they currently have linked to their Bethesda launcher to their Steam accounts. And when I say everything, I mean that not only games can be ported, but also saved games, funds from the Bethesda.net wallet, etc.
Although no specific dates have been given, Bethesda affirms thatthe migrations can be carried out in April, and as I have indicated previously, they propose the closing of the launcher and the store for the month of May. However, and although it is conceivable that tests have already been carried out to ensure that the migration process can be carried out without problems, it will not be until the massive movement of players begins that it will be verified if everything works as it should. Therefore, we must count on the possibility that this process will start somewhat later than initially planned.
And in the same way, although the deadline initially established by Bethesda to complete the migration is May, I have the feeling that it will eventually last one or several months, since I have doubts that all users complete the process in a month, and I would be very surprised if the company terminated the process if there are still enough users to move all their games and digital assets to Steam.
For most titles, the migration of their associated content, including saved games, will be done automatically once users connect their Bethesda and Steam accounts. Of course, the company warns that in some cases the transfer will have to be carried out manually, a process for which the company will offer users all the necessary instructions.
Bethesda.net accounts will not disappear, however, and will continue to be necessary to log in to games that currently require it. And in the same way, the company affirms that players will be able to continue accessing the content of the accounts through its website, although it should be understood that in this case it will only be to review the content of the same, not to carry out other actions. The games that have their own dedicated launcher will not experience changes, as these will remain operational beyond the closure of the general Bethesda launcher.
An interesting movement, to be honest, that could mark the way to the future of other online game stores, and I am specifically referring to the owners of the distributors, who atomize the market, forcing the players to have a dozen launchers and credentials (associated with means of payment) to many stores. I think that a hypothetical proliferation of stores is a positive thing, but those specific to a distributor seem like a hindrance to me, so I celebrate this move by Bethesda, and I think the example should spread. What do you think?