Microsoft Acquires Bethesda in A $7.5 Billion Deal

Written by Brandon Hofer on September 21, 2020

News: Microsoft now owns Bethesda and all of their different studios and IP, including Elder Scrolls, Doom, Quake, and more.

Microsoft has revealed that they are acquiring Zenimax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks for an astounding 7.5 billion dollars. What that means is that Microsoft now has 23 studios instead of 15 (Bethesda owned eight studios) and also owns franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, Doom, Dishonored, Quake, Starfield, and more. This massive announcement also takes place just 24 hours before Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S goes up for pre-order, which is not a coincidence.

What this also means for Xbox gamers that are on Game Pass is that Bethesda’s lineup of titles should, at some point, become permanently available on Game Pass. Also, future titles should be there on release date, So, for example, The Elder Scrolls VI should be available on Game Pass on day one, whenever it is released. The same goes for Starfield, the next Doom (although that will be a little while), and whatever else comes out of this studio.

Phil Spencer has mentioned that this is a “landmark step” for Microsoft and Xbox and it is definitely one that has taken the industry by surprise. If you are a PlayStation gamer though I don’t think you have anything to worry about. When Microsoft acquired Mojang years back they kept Minecraft on pretty much every platform and I assume Bethesda titles will still appear on PlayStation platforms as well. It is just an assumption on my part but Microsoft seems to understand that the more people that can play your games, the more money you will make, so I doubt very many (if any) Bethesda titles become Xbox exclusive.

The eight studios that are now joining Microsoft as a part of this deal include:

Bethesda Game Studios

id Software

ZeniMax Online Studios

Arkane

MachineGames

Tango Gameworks

Alpha Dog

Roundhouse Studios

If you will recall, Bethesda currently has a deal with Sony for games Deathloop (Arkane Studios) and GhostWire: Tokyo (Tango Gameworks). It appears those deals will remain in place and those two games will have timed exclusivity on the PlayStation 5. We are still waiting for official word from Microsoft but that seems to be the case for right now.

Phil Spencer wrote a letter to everyone announcing this massive deal, something that you can check out in its entirety below:

”Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.

As one of the largest, most critically acclaimed, privately held game developers and publishers in the world, Bethesda is an incredibly talented group of 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in our industry across Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. These are the teams responsible for franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and many more.

Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world. Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.

Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games. We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. One of the things that has me most excited is seeing the roadmap with Bethesda’s future games, some announced and many unannounced, to Xbox console and PC including Starfield, the highly anticipated, new space epic currently in development by Bethesda Game Studios.

Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you.

All of our work, and the foundation of our relationship with you, starts with a commitment to deliver a breadth of amazing games to discover and play on Xbox. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been excited to share more detail on important elements of a plan we’ve been building towards for years. A plan that is the fulfilment of a promise, to you the Xbox player, to deliver the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation gaming experiences, and the freedom to play blockbuster games with your friends, anytime, anywhere. Today is a landmark step in our journey together and I’m incredibly energized by what this step means for Xbox.

Please join me in welcoming all of our friends at Bethesda to Team Xbox.”

What do you think of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda? Are you excited that their titles will be coming to Game Pass? Will you be pre-ordering an Xbox Series X and/or a Xbox Series S tomorrow? Tell us in the comments section below.

source: Xbox