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Microsoft Completes Bethesda Acquisition And Affirms Future Exclusive Games

Microsoft has officially completed the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the owner of Bethesda, makers of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The US$7.5 billion acquisition was given the green light by the SEC and EU commission.

In a blog post to celebrate the acquisition, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer welcomed all the eight development studios under ZeniMax Media – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.

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Spencer rounded up saying the goal is to “give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players.”

He went on to confirm that “Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.”

This means that our favourite RPG’s future titles might see their departure from the PlayStation’s platform.

The acquisition of ZeniMax Media isn’t the only studio acquisition recently. Fortnite creator, Epic Games buying over Tonic Games Group (Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout) was the latest prominent acquisition.

Studio acquisitions may be an encouraging endeavour for developers in terms of funding. But at the same time, they could also inhibit creativity and control due to the differences between studio and publisher. The friction across studio and publisher is common and may end up like the split between Activision and Bungie. Due to financial expectations, both studios decided they would break up and focus on their own IPs amicably.

Despite being unfortunate for PlayStation fans who might not see future Fallout or Skyrim titles on its platform, we are hopeful with Microsoft on the steering wheel for Bethesda as they have successfully supported studios like Obsidian Entertainment, in making award-winning RPG, The Outer Worlds and their continued DLCs.