Microsoft’s Acquisition of ZeniMax Officially Complete, Bethesda Now Part of Xbox

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Microsoft’s $ 7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of developers like Bethesda, Arkane, id Software, etc., has been finalized. To celebrate, more Bethesda games will be added to Xbox Game Pass this week. It has also been confirmed that some new Bethesda games will be exclusive to both Xbox and PC.In a post on Xbox Wire, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, welcomed ZeniMax, Bethesda Softworks and all of their development studios to the Xbox family. , saying, “Now that it’s all official, we can start working together to bring more great games to everyone.”

Spencer added that there would be more news on how Xbox Teams work to come later this year, but promised more Bethesda games would be added to Xbox Game Pass later this week to celebrate (no details on this. what these games are has yet to be announced).In another blog post, Bethesda’s Pete Hines wrote that “we are not making any announcements or significant changes at this time,” but added that “we will be working to get more of our games into Game Pass than ever before” .

Spencer clarified a major point, clearing up some of the speculation about whether Bethesda games would be exclusive to Xbox: “With the addition of the Bethesda Creative Teams, gamers should know that the Xbox, PC, and Game Pass consoles will be the best place to check out new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players. “

Spencer reiterated that Microsoft will allow Bethesda to continue to “make games like it always has,” and it should be noted that neither Xbox nor Bethesda mentions Xbox Game Studios in their acquisition announcements. Perhaps this indicates that Bethesda is working under a different umbrella than other Microsoft-owned studios. To help manage this new acquisition, Xbox has apparently created a new company called Vault – which could be the new brand for Bethesda games made under Xbox.

At the end of last week, the European Commission paved the way for Xbox’s acquisition of ZeniMax, removing a major barrier to bulk buying. The US SEC also approved the acquisition.

With the full purchase, Xbox has acquired the following ZeniMax developers:

  • Alpha Dog Games
  • Arkane Studios (including offices in Lyon, France and Austin, Texas)
  • Bethesda Softworks (including Bethesda Game Studios in Maryland, Bethesda Game Studios Austin, Bethesda Game Studios Dallas, and Bethesda Game Studios Montreal)
  • Identification software (including offices in Richardson, Texas and Frankfurt, Germany)
  • MachineGames
  • Roundhouse Studios
  • Tango games
  • ZeniMax Online Studios

Xbox Series X games confirmed

Xbox wasn’t too straightforward with its plans for developers like Bethesda and id when it announced plans to acquire ZeniMax in 2020. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in an interview that he wasn’t actively planning for the future of studios like Bethesda until after the acquisition was complete.

So while Xbox has not announced any plans for console exclusivity, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart has said that at least games from Bethesda and other ZeniMax studios will be “the first or better or better. the best ”on Xbox platforms.

There are many ways for Xbox to bring ZeniMax games to various proprietary channels, whether through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on console and PC or the xCloud streaming service. The two options Spencer already discussed when acquiring ZeniMax.Xbox’s successful ZeniMax acquisition sent shockwaves across the industry, bolstering Xbox’s premier lineup, and apparently even spooked competitors like Google Stadia.

With the acquisition now official, it’s time to see exactly what Xbox has in store for ZeniMax and games from studios like Bethesda, which is currently developing titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6.



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