Monday, September 21st 2020
Microsoft Announces Acquisition of Bethesda Parent Company ZeniMax Media
Microsoft today dropped a giant bomb on the balance of game development: the company announced the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, and all its related IP. The purchase, which is expected to close for a tidy $7.5 billion, will carry over all ZeniMax Media subsidiaries. This includes Bethesda (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout), id Software (DOOM), Arkane Studios (Prey, Dishonored, upcoming Deathloop), MachineGames (Wolfenstein), among others.
The deal is the costliest acquisition for Microsoft (to date) in its push to increase the number of in-house development studios (up to 23 from 15 prior to this deal). Microsoft has announced that as part of the deal, games published by ZeniMax Media and subsidiaries (and in the future, by Microsoft) will be available on its Xbox Games Pass subscription service for Xbox and PC gaming. Microsoft is acquiring some of the most iconic gaming franchises ever with this deal, including all in-development IP. It's a huge boon for the company; it remains to be seen exactly how will this evolve over the years. But one thing is for certain: Microsoft isn't slowing down on its doubling down on game development.
Microsoft expects the deal to close in the second half of its fiscal year 2021, which ends June 30, and to have "minimal" impact on its adjusted operating income for the current and next fiscal years. There are expected to be no shakeups in company leadership from this transition.
Source:
Microsoft
The deal is the costliest acquisition for Microsoft (to date) in its push to increase the number of in-house development studios (up to 23 from 15 prior to this deal). Microsoft has announced that as part of the deal, games published by ZeniMax Media and subsidiaries (and in the future, by Microsoft) will be available on its Xbox Games Pass subscription service for Xbox and PC gaming. Microsoft is acquiring some of the most iconic gaming franchises ever with this deal, including all in-development IP. It's a huge boon for the company; it remains to be seen exactly how will this evolve over the years. But one thing is for certain: Microsoft isn't slowing down on its doubling down on game development.
93 Comments on Microsoft Announces Acquisition of Bethesda Parent Company ZeniMax Media
Elder scrolls started in 1994, Fallout didnt start until 1997
No doubt there's a limitation on animation in the engine that creates the stiff NPC movement.
Crashes are from a giant mess of code from multiple different people reprogramming the code for 20 odd years.
Alt-Tab difficulties come from an engine that was used before alt-tab and multitasking was a common occurrence.
These are all symptoms of an overused, outdated engine. It's time Bethesda created a new engine or uses an existing one that isn't smothered with code 20 years out of date.
To say Fallout was born from ES doesn’t make sense. Fallout was changed when purchased from Interplay to ES format.
The original Fallout 1 and 2 have nothing in common with Elder Scrolls games. The post Bethesda acquisition Fallout's naturally have some things in common with modern ES games.
As for "more like a cheap Far Cry rip off" - Jesus people, when were you born?
Best acquisition 2020
Maybe now we'll get a Minecraft Fallout and TES, they'll probably run better and be mod friendly to boot. As someone else said, Obsidian writes some quests, bombshell ready to launch. (I prob won't play it :D)
But someone gaming/economically educated please explain why would anyone sell out like this. You own a company like that. Why would you sell it to Microsoft?
Who owned Bethesda until now anyway? Must be gaming Bill Gates or something.
Maybe TES and fallout will finally get a proper engine upgrade after decade and a half, and decent studios like id and Arkane will get more leeway and better timelines to get their job done instead of rushing out half-assed sequels/prequels/DLCs.
Though, I'm still not sure whether Zenimax killed Bethsoft or Bethsoft killed Bethsoft :D :D :D
Shakes up the balance eh, right, and let's be more specific that it greately imbalances the indstury ... don't you people see a pattern, all of this consolidation will lead to a single corporation controlling everything.
All the gimmicks associated with a launcher is another story, but EPIC launcher not being up to par with Steam is like a effing no brainer, ofcourse it's worse if it's brand new made from scratch and was released as v0.05 beta, but it still launches the game, that's the most important part everyone's missing, that's what it's all about. The dumb haters have no brains, if EPIC was clearly being serious then the whole thing should have been expected to be built up and be something like Steam, but in the end of the day, why does it have to be exacty like steam.
/rantYou know what, I don't give a rats behind about that either, because both of the systems SUCK A**, same poop, different splatter.
Microsoft has a track record of over-blowing things with their extreme-mega-ultra-maximum "marketing" and then they get bored and walk away two years later.
On the bright side there are plenty of other game developers and not all of them are interested in selling out.
Microsoft with it's cash disposal for shit couldn't do anything but watch in shame on how Sony is going to steamroll over them again except to purchase this on exactly one day before the Pre-orders they do not have any plan to make new games off and their own IP is rotting (Halo Infinite, 343i under Bonnie Ross). This doesn't do shit for their Xbox crap, except Gears of War and Halo (which is now on PC as well, probably the only thing which MS did something fantastic, someone ordered that MCC on Win32 which is really superb but all that was for Halo Infinite, nothing for Gears of War sadly) there's no single reason to buy Xbox, unless they are not into PC. Still many will go to Playstation, Sony even though that new Dad of War (garbage game is not God of War) gaining super popularity due to reboot and their prized excl. Japanese dev talent for Bloodborne, and other games such has Shadow of Colossus, etc even without back compat was able to stomp Xbox. & now Demon Souls Remake, Ratchet and Clank, whole Konami, Kojima and other Japanese studios.
This one gives them some base to stand, making more studios under Bethesda as probably Bethesda administration will not change mostly. And the biggest piece of pie, Xbox Gamepass, the ultimate cancer, Games as a Service. In the age of Denuvo which is having online activations but eventually gets removed sometimes be it getting cracked or not, this GaaS is pure cancer, which gives more scope for games being as a platform, Halo Infinite garbage for eg. then the UWP, ultimate DRM built into the OS, it's a shame to see so many people buy that Gamepass not to own and play again at a later point to time to experience that pure immersion of these old fantastic games but to rent, and add that Fortnite style of BR madness with MTX, Halo Infinite garbage again. MS is always into this as a Service, zero ownership and zero control, mods also now we do not know how they will be in the future, Xbox bloat in Win10 dependency (XBLive), Win10 version requirements, what not. Also that Gamepass and Xcloud are the key here as well, it will be on PC and Xbox not on PS, that's the card MS wants to play.
This is bad, very bad for us. The only good thing I see from this is Zenimax IP getting sequels but with their top studios making garbage even that is not inspiring. Sony will raise an eye definitely, but this excl. B.S will even make Sony to not release their games on PC platform, Bloodborne is getting a release on PC as per rumors, now they might even axe it or any IP for instance. This console war, I hope MS fails again harder.