Big deal! Talk about kicking off a new week strong! In the most unexpected of moves, Microsoft has announced that it is acquiring ZeniMax Media to supercharge its Xbox Game Studios division.
You know, the publisher behind games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, and DOOM series.
Phil Spencer himself shared the good news.
Confirming in the process that Redmond has entered into an agreement to buy the company that owns development studios like Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.
His words:
“Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.”
The deal is costing Microsoft $7.5 billion, and with this addition, the Xbox Game Studios family has now grown from 15 to 23.
In addition to that, the 2,300 or so employees of ZeniMax and its studios the world over will also become part of Microsoft. Redmond expects the acquisition to close in the second half of the fiscal year 2021, which will end in June of next year.
As with all other first-party studios, Microsoft will seek to bring all of the new titles of its latest acquisition to Xbox Game Pass day one, across Xbox consoles and PC.
