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When the deal closes, Microsoft and its game company Xbox will have 23 studios of their own.
In accordance with the European Commission’s Merger Regulations, the EU finally approved the acquisition of ZeniMax Media Inc. for US $ 7.5 billion by Microsoft Corporation. In September 2020, Microsoft announced its intention to buy Bethesda, after previous Bethesda games hit Xbox Game Pass on console and PC, and gives Microsoft control of upcoming releases, including the highly anticipated Starfield, Indiana. Jones and The Elder Scrolls VI.
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“The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns, given the combined entity’s limited market position upstream and the presence of strong downstream competitors in video game distribution,” the European Commission said in a statement. , and adds that this transaction was “Examined under the normal merger review procedure.”
In an official blog post from Bethesda Senior Vice President Pete Hines, titled ‘Bethesda + Xbox Just Getting Started’, it is written: “This year marks 35 years since the original creation of Bethesda Softworks,” writes Hines, “Reaching a A milestone like that, while also going through a historic occasion like this acquisition, puts into perspective how far we’ve come at that time. A journey that wouldn’t be worth it without all of you to share it with. ” Bethesda was founded in 1986 by Christopher Weaver, and the company started with games like Gridiron. And finally, his signature role-playing game The Elder Scrolls.
In memory of Altman
- On a more sentimental note, Hines also writes: “It is a bittersweet day given that our founder, Robert Altman, passed away last month. Among his many admirable qualities was the incredible family spirit and loyalty that he shared with all of us. I will always be grateful for your efforts to find the perfect place for ZeniMax, Bethesda and our studios and employees to continue their excellent work in the future. “
- Adds Spencer: “Robert believed deeply in the power of games and we are privileged to continue his work by joining forces with the teams he built and led over many years. I will lose the opportunity to work directly with him in the future of our combined teams, but I know that his spirit will live on in the shared work we do and will motivate us to make this partnership everything he imagined ”.
Meanwhile, Xbox Director Phil Spencer wrote ‘Officially Welcoming Bethesda to Team Xbox’, “Now that everything is official, we can start working together to bring more great games to everyone. At every step towards this moment, I have been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community focus first of all of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to provide these teams with the best foundation to do their best work and learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all gamers. ”
Looking to the future
The Microsoft-owned gaming company believes in Bethesda’s potential for its Game Pass subscription. Spencer writes that he and his team, “We look forward to empowering Bethesda’s creative teams to reach more players around the world, helping to make future Bethesda titles the biggest and most popular games in their history. Xbox and Bethesda have long shared a common vision for the future of gaming. As fans and creators alike, Bethesda understands the potential of Xbox Game Pass. “
When the deal is finalized, Microsoft’s list of proprietary studios will grow to 23, following the addition of Bethesda studios such as Dishonored developer Arkane, Wolfenstein MachineGames studio, Doom maker id Software, and The Studio. Evil Within, Tango Gameworks. Microsoft appears to be planning to keep Bethesda running independently, while retaining its current leadership. A similar approach has worked for Mojang, LinkedIn, and GitHub, which continued to run separately after Microsoft acquired them.
More information, about the future of Bethesda, xCloud on iOS, and their plans for Xbox Game Pass, is likely to be released during a “future of games” event rumored to take place on March 23rd. Gamers can also look forward to more information on the acquisition during the E3 summer games fair (Electronic Entertainment Expo).
