It’s Monday morning, but we’re already shaken to our core because Microsoft just announced that it has entered into a deal to acquire Zenimax, the parent studio of Bethesda.
This now means that beloved IP like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and more will be part of Xbox’s first-party lineup. This news first came from Bloomberg reporter Jason Scherier who announced it on Twitter but was then quickly followed up by an official post on Xbox Wire.
BREAKING: Microsoft is planning to buy Zenimax/Bethesda, an industry-shaking acquisition that will give Xbox ownership of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Doom, Wolfenstein, Dishonored, and more. Story hitting Bloomberg shortly
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) September 21, 2020
Of course, the wildest news being that Fallout New Vegas 2 may actually become a reality some time down the line.
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The Xbox Wire post comes directly from Head of Xbox himself, Phil Spencer. It seems like a wild piece of news because, well it is.
This now takes Microsoft’s first party studio count from 15 to 23, which is an impressive leap that will bolster both the Xbox brand, as well as the value already found with Xbox Game Pass.
With these games coming to Xbox Game Pass day and date, it will be hard for other companies to try and compete with such a service.
Bloomberg also reports that the purchase costed Microsoft a whopping 7.5 billion dollars, which is three times the amount it paid for Minecraft back in the day.
This seems like a ludcarious amount of money, but when you consider what Microsoft just purchased it makes more sense. Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are one of the biggest brands on the market.
Potentially making these games Xbox exclusive suddenly shifts the entire narrative of what Microsoft’s first-party lineup looks like.
Not to mention service games like Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls online which will be a consistent source of revenue as time goes on.
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This was the shot in the arm the Xbox brand needed, especially the day before Xbox Series X pre-orders go live. Many people on the fence about which console to choose may now know enough to go with Xbox.
With The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how those games pan out for Microsoft going forward.
What do you think about Bethesda joining Microsfot? Let us know on the official Prima Games Twitter and Facebook pages.
