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The European Union has given the green light for Microsoft to buy Bethesda.
The EU approved the deal between Microsoft and Bethesda over the weekend, writing that it “does not raise serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market”. In other words, the EU does not see Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda as creating a monopoly in the video game industry.
Just yesterday, Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda was approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. While this was by no means the last hurdle for the deal to cross, it did bring the deal one step closer to the finish line. Now, with the EU and SEC rulings passed and approved, there is little further impediment to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda.
Previously, Xbox boss Phil Spencer estimated the deal would be done in the second half of 2021. When Microsoft announced the purchase of Bethesda last year in September 2020, there was some confusion over whether Bethesda had timed PlayStation exclusives like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo would still be Sony’s console exclusive, but Microsoft has pledged to honor all previous offerings.
As for Bethesda itself, the company will run “semi-independently” of Microsoft after the acquisition. Additionally, the developer is apparently aiming to launch Starfield later this year in 2021, so this could be the first test of whether Microsoft will allow a game made by Bethesda to arrive on Sony platforms on day one.
For a full rundown of all the games coming to Microsoft’s powerful next-gen console, visit our Xbox Series X games coming soon guide for more.
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