Microsoft is giving Xbox Insiders free access to classic Bethesda first-person shooters
Microsoft is giving select PC gamers free access to four classic games from Bethesda and id Software, which it acquired as part of its $7.5 billion purchase of ZeniMax in 2020. And three from between them wouldn't have been released if it hadn't been for the tech giant I'm not buying Activision Blizzard either. In an Xbox Blog post, Microsoft revealed that Xbox Insiders on Windows PC can now preview Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Quake Champions.
It's no surprise that the offer is only available to PC users who are part of Microsoft's Insider program - as Ars Technica notes, the first four games on the list were originally released in the mid-90s and work through DOSBox emulation. DOSBox runs software for MS-DOS compatible games, but it's a pretty inelegant solution to making older titles playable.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is an open-world action RPG published by Bethesda, featuring a first-person perspective and featuring melee combat and magic. Meanwhile, Heretic, its sequel HeXen: Beyond Heretic and its expansion pack, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel , are all first-person dark fantasy shooters. They were built using a modified version of the Doom engine, and although they were published by id Software, they were developed by Raven Software. Activision acquired the rights to these games when it purchased Raven in 1997.
Microsoft first announced it was buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in January this year and expects the deal to close no later than June 2023 if regulators let it. give their approval. It's an all-cash deal that values Activision at $95 per share. Microsoft plans to add Activision Blizzard games to Xbox Game Pass as part of the acquisition, and some of those games might look like the Heretic-HeXen series, which Activision doesn't fully own.
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Microsoft is giving select PC gamers free access to four classic games from Bethesda and id Software, which it acquired as part of its $7.5 billion purchase of ZeniMax in 2020. And three from between them wouldn't have been released if it hadn't been for the tech giant I'm not buying Activision Blizzard either. In an Xbox Blog post, Microsoft revealed that Xbox Insiders on Windows PC can now preview Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Quake Champions.
It's no surprise that the offer is only available to PC users who are part of Microsoft's Insider program - as Ars Technica notes, the first four games on the list were originally released in the mid-90s and work through DOSBox emulation. DOSBox runs software for MS-DOS compatible games, but it's a pretty inelegant solution to making older titles playable.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is an open-world action RPG published by Bethesda, featuring a first-person perspective and featuring melee combat and magic. Meanwhile, Heretic, its sequel HeXen: Beyond Heretic and its expansion pack, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel , are all first-person dark fantasy shooters. They were built using a modified version of the Doom engine, and although they were published by id Software, they were developed by Raven Software. Activision acquired the rights to these games when it purchased Raven in 1997.
Microsoft first announced it was buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in January this year and expects the deal to close no later than June 2023 if regulators let it. give their approval. It's an all-cash deal that values Activision at $95 per share. Microsoft plans to add Activision Blizzard games to Xbox Game Pass as part of the acquisition, and some of those games might look like the Heretic-HeXen series, which Activision doesn't fully own.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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