Top Story
Microsoft gobbles up ZeniMax Media
Microsoft has just acquired ZeniMax media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks and that means a considerable stable of studios spread across the globe has become part of Xbox Game Studios.
The acquisition has taken the gaming world by surprise, with not so much as a leak or rumour ahead of the announcement.
“…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,” said Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
Team Xbox: This means Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios are now Microsoft first-party developers.
The deal also means The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, Doom, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and other intellectual property belongs to Microsoft now.
Game Pass: What does this mean for games like The Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76 and any upcoming multiplatform games? Business as usual, apparently: “We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC,” said Spencer, while teasing that Bethesda has many “many unannounced” games in the works.