Microsoft concluded its $ 7.5 billion deal to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Doom and To fall Bethesda Softworks studio. The finalization comes just a day after Microsoft secured EU regulatory approval for the acquisition, and will now increase the company’s Xbox game studios to a total of 23.
“This is the next step in building a team of industry-leading studios, a commitment we have to our Xbox community,” said Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer. “With the addition of Bethesda’s creative teams, players should know that the Xbox, PC and Game Pass consoles will be the best place to try new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players. “
This offer includes Bethesda sub-studios, such as Dishonored Arkane developer, Wolfenstein Studio MachineGames, Doom id software maker, and The evil within Tango Gameworks studio. Microsoft now has 23 game studios of its own, compared to Sony’s 13 PlayStation Studios.
Bethesda will now be run as a separate business at Microsoft, with its existing leadership. This is the same approach that Microsoft used for its recent major acquisitions, including Mojang, LinkedIn and GitHub.
In a separate blog post, Bethesda’s head of marketing, Pete Hines, reveals that there will be no major changes yet:
“First of all, let me say that we are not making any major announcements or changes at the moment. As we all share, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as before, with just more support and resources than ever before. Obviously, the Game Pass was an important initiative for the Xbox, and we will be working to put even more games on the Game Pass than ever before. Furthermore? Stay tuned, we’re just getting together. “
Microsoft originally announced its plans to acquire Bethesda in September, promising to honor PS5’s Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo. Games like The Elder Scrolls: Online also “will continue to be supported exactly as it was”.
Questions were raised about Microsoft’s plans for Bethesda exclusives on Xbox and PC, and Spencer made it clear today that there will be “some new titles” that will be available only on Microsoft platforms. Exactly how many are not yet known, but in the meantime Microsoft is bringing more Bethesda games to the Xbox Game Pass later this week.