The Bethesda.net launcher for PC games will be retired in just three months’ time. Starting in May, players will no longer be able to use the launcher and will have to transfer their games to Steam to be able to retain access although a Bethesda.net account will still be needed.
Will Bethesda.net players lose games?
Bethesda assures players none of their game libraries will be lost. In early April, players will be able to transfer their Bethesda.net library to Steam; this includes all of the games, game saves, and the wallet funds associated with that account. The only game whose save will not be able to migrate at the moment is Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and Bethesda states they “expect almost all save progress to be transferable automatically or manually.”
Games that require players to log into a Bethesda.net account will still require players to sign in. While the launcher is disappearing, Bethesda.net itself is not and players will still be able to access their account on Bethesda’s website. The reason for this is so that access remains to game mods, in-game content like skins, and the latest updates.
The Bethesda.net launcher will close in May. Those who haven’t transferred their games by this point will not lose their library but also won’t be able to play them until they have been migrated to Steam. Players will not be able to transfer their games to any other PC service than Steam. Likewise, they won’t be able to transfer them to consoles like Xbox or PlayStation either.
Instructions on how to go through the transfer process will become available closer to the time. For now, those wanting more information on the status of Fallout 76, a game that was exclusive to the Bethesda.net launcher, can take a look at the dedicated FAQ.
In other news, the Steam Next Fest event has launched and offers demos and livestreams to give players a preview of hundreds of upcoming games. Elsewhere, Capcom has been criticized for using an $80 Adobe stock photo for the Street Fighter 6 logo.
