The European Commission has given a green light to the purchase of ZeniMax Media, Bethesda’s Parent company, by Microsoft in a $7.5 billion deal. This approval means that Microsoft will become the owner of franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Dishonored, and many more!
Only a few days ago, The US Securities and Exchange Commission approved the acquisition of Microsoft and Zenimax. Now with the EU giving their own blessings, the Xbox and Windows giant can finalize and put the deal to bed quickly.
Currently, Microsoft would be planning to bring Bethesda titles to the Xbox Game Pass and future releases. Currently, we are not clear about Microsoft’s stance on exclusivity. However, the least we can expect is to see Bethesda’s titles getting a day-one launch on Game Pass.
It must be noted that despite the buyout, Bethesda will operate independently. Microsoft had adopted the same approach for LinkedIn, GitHub, and Mojang. These companies remained autonomous in their ways despite Microsoft being the owner.
When Microsoft finalizes and closes this deal with Bethesda, the list of first-party studios owned by the American giants will jump to 23. As Bethesda’s sub-studios like the following will merge with Microsoft too:
- l Dishonored developer Arkane,
- l Wolfenstein studio MachineGames,
- l Doom maker id Software,
- l The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks
Moreover, we might also see a Microsoft event after Bethesda purchase materializes. It is expected that the event will take place in mid-March.
The event will discuss Bethesda’s acquisition by Microsoft in detail, along with the prospects of upcoming Bethesda releases. Don’t expect new titles or hardware to be rolled out. Emphasis will likely be given to the financial and business part of Xbox and gaming.
About Microsoft
Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft is an American MNC that creates, licenses, supports and sells computers, software, electronics, video games, and corresponding services.
Some of the most popular games in the gaming world, like Age of Empires, Forza, Gears of War, Halo, Minecraft, Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and State of Decay, were developed and published by Microsoft.
Microsoft is also known for starting the famous console brand, Xbox.
Moreover, Xbox Game Pass, a video game subscription, is also a Microsoft-owned service.
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