The $7.5 billion deal to acquire ZeniMax Media has now been finalized for Microsoft, ensuring Bethesda Softworks would be in good hands. The deal includes Bethesda sub-studios like Dishonored developer Arkane, Wolfenstein studio MachineGames, Doom maker id Software, and The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks. Microsoft now has 23 first-party game studios, compared to Sony’s 13 PlayStation Studios.
“This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community,” says Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer. “With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”
In a separate blog post, Bethesda marketing chief Pete Hines reveals that there won’t be any big changes just yet:
“First, let me say that we’re not making any landmark announcements or changes right now. As we’ve all shared, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as we have in the past, just with more support and resources than we’ve ever had before. Obviously, Game Pass has been an important initiative for Xbox, and we’ll be working on putting even more of our games into Game Pass than ever before. Beyond that? Stay tuned, we’re just getting started together.”
Microsoft will reportedly outline the details of its Bethesda acquisition in a presentation this week. According to a report from Venturebeat, “Microsoft is going to start answering [questions about the merger] with a video presentation on Thursday, March 11.”
What do you feel about this merge? Let us know in the comments section below!
