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Microsoft acquires Bethesda

September 21, 2020.

Fallout 76.

Fallout 76. © Bethesda Softworks LLC.

Microsoft is buying ZeniMax Media, the corporate parent of Bethesda Softworks, the owner of game franchises like DishonoredWolfensteinThe Elder ScrollsFalloutDoomStarfieldQuake and Prey. At 7.5 billion dollars cash, this transaction is one of the richest ever in the video game industry. The announcement comes as Microsoft is preparing to launch two new consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. Bethesda had already announced the launch of two new PlayStation 5 and Windows exclusive titles, Ghostwire: Tokyo (Tango Gameworks) and Deathloop (Arkane Studios). The head of the Xbox division, Phil Spencer, confirmed that Microsoft would honor existing exclusivities, but that future games would be available on platforms other than the Xbox “on a case-by-case basis”. Already a leader in the platform market with the Xbox and Windows, over the last few years, Microsoft has turned into a behemoth for content with the purchase of Minecraft and several studios like Double Fine Productions, Undead Labs, Playground Games, Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games. One thing emerges clearly from this development: the Bethesda acquisition makes the Game Pass an even better deal, which is probably a top priority for Microsoft as it launches its next generation of consoles in November.

Ars Technica, Kyle Orland, “Microsoft purchases Bethesda Softworks in industry-changing acquisition.”