You are doubtless aware that Microsoft has bought a ton of studios over recent years. Now, the company has made a huge announcement. It is on the verge of one of its biggest acquisitions yet. Microsoft is buying Bethesda by acquiring its parent company ZeniMax Media. The cost of the acquisition? $7.5 billion. Now, gamers are wondering what it will mean for the future of popular Bethesda franchises.
What Will It Mean For Gamers That Microsoft is Buying Bethesda?
You can view the news post where Microsoft made the announcement here. The post says, “Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) on Monday announced plans to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, one of the largest, privately held game developers and publishers in the world. Creators of critically acclaimed and best-selling gaming franchises including The Elder Scrolls and Fallout among many others, Bethesda brings an impressive portfolio of games, technology, talent, as well as a track record of blockbuster commercial success, to Xbox.”
Additionally, the post continues, “With the addition of Bethesda, Microsoft will grow from 15 to 23 creative studio teams and will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass. This includes Microsoft’s intent to bring Bethesda’s future games into Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC.”
Needless to say, this is great news for Xbox and PC gamers, but what about those on PlayStation? Will they miss out on future Bethesda games? Could the next Elder Scrolls or Fallout game be a timed or full exclusive for Xbox/PC gamers? It is hard to imagine Microsoft shutting out millions of gamers from such longstanding, beloved franchises. But who knows? One thing we can say is that this is, well, a game-changer, pun intended.
We will keep you up to date on what is going on with Microsoft and Bethesda in our PlayStation news. In that section, we will also keep you posted on what Microsoft is working on with the other studios that it now owns.