Update
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Phil Spencer has stated that Microsoft will honor Bethesda’s previous agreement with Sony for the release of Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo on PlayStation 5 as “timed console exclusives”. However, Spencer said that Microsoft will “take other consoles on a case-by-case basis”
Microsoft will close the deal in the second half of its fiscal year 2021, according to Bloomberg.
Original Story
Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, id Software, Arkane Studios, Machine Games, and Tango Gameworks.
The 7.5 billion dollar deal allows Microsoft’s management to own some of the industry-leading IPs, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake. Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer shared a few words about the impressive acquisition ahead of the launch of Xbox Series X/S.
Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.
As one of the largest, most critically acclaimed, privately held game developers and publishers in the world, Bethesda is an incredibly talented group of 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in our industry across Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.
https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/1308028751796551680
Recently PlayStation’s CEO Jim Ryan affirmed that PlayStation Studios features four of the five best development teams in the industry. Certainly, Ryan’s claims did not age well, Xbox Games Studios is now one of the biggest and most powerful development teams of the industry.
“All of our work, and the foundation of our relationship with you, start with a commitment to deliver a breadth of amazing games to discover and play on Xbox” Spenser says. “Over the last few weeks, we’ve been excited to share more detail on important elements of a plan we’ve been building towards for years. A plan that is the fulfillment of a promise, to you the Xbox player, to deliver the most performant, immersive, and compatible next-generation gaming experiences, and the freedom to play blockbuster games with your friends, anytime, anywhere. Today is a landmark step in our journey together and I’m incredibly energized by what this step means for Xbox.”
On Bethesda’s website, Vice President of PR and Marketing Pete Hines affirmed that Bethesda will be publishing its own games, something that suggests that future games may still release on PlayStation.
“We’re still working on the same games we were yesterday, made by the same studios we’ve worked with for years, and those games will be published by us.” Hines explains. “So why the change? Because it allows us to make even better games going forward. Microsoft is an incredible partner and offers access to resources that will make us a better publisher and developer. We believe that means better games for you to play.”
Source: Xbox – Bethesda – Bloomberg
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