Microsoft isn’t a newcomer when it comes to absorbing other gaming companies. They bought the makers of Minecraft several years ago, and now, they’ve acquired the parent company of Bethesda.
Microsoft’s launch for the Xbox Series X is on as scheduled. Ahead of the planned release, Microsoft is making some pretty big business decisions. One includes buying the parent company of Bethesda in a whopping $7.5 billion deal.
Microsoft buys Zenimax Inc.
In a surprise announcement, Microsoft revealed that they had bought Zenimax Inc. The deal cost them $7.5 billion, but it could be a deal that pays off greatly. There are many companies under the helm of Zenimax, and under these companies are some great games.
Many players are now concerned that the deal will allow Microsoft to create Xbox exclusive games with the help of Zenimax. These games could include future Fallout and the Elder Scrolls titles. Of course, those who are opting to buy the PlayStation 5 are now having second thoughts. There are also concerns regarding upcoming games like Deathloop.
What happens to future Zenimax titles?
The immediate concern of players was the games, of course. Xbox President Phil Spencer has since announced that exclusive games will be available on a “case-by-case basis,” but he didn’t detail what this means exactly.
In the deal, Microsoft has also acquired Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Zenimax Online Studios, Arkane MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and even Roundhouse Studios. These developers are responsible for many amazing games, including Dishonored, Prey, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom.
The good news is that Microsoft will honor the current deals that Bethesda has made. These means timed-exclusives like Deathloop will remain that way. However, for future titles, it might be a different case as Microsoft is most likely to make exclusivity deals.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax is one of the biggest gaming deals in recent memory. There will certainly be a lot of effects for both companies. However, those effects might not be felt until a few years from now, long after Zenimax and its companies have begun to develop more games.
Perhaps the biggest benefit that Microsoft got from the deal was that it now has Bethesda. The company remains to be one of the top developers out there, and it has a ton of games in development. We’ll have to wait and see how these deals will affect the release of those games.
Image used courtesy of Bethesda/YouTube