Here’s your Monday bombshell: Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired ZeniMax Media – and therefore Bethesda Softworks and ZeniMax Online Studios and all its franchises and games, including the ones near and dear to us, Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76.
“Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox,” Microsoft’s Phil Spencer said. “We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.” The press release reveals that Microsoft paid $7.5B in cash for the megacorp.
Bethsoft’s Todd Howard’s letter to the community is a bit low on explainers and more about reminiscing, but ZeniMax Online Studios’ Matt Firor issued a separate and more clear letter to Elder Scrolls Online fans, assuring them that “ESO will continue to be supported exactly as it was, and we fully expect it to keep growing and thriving on each of the platforms that are currently supported” – note the wording there. “Rest assured in the knowledge that we are focused on supporting you for many more years to come.” Bethsoft’s Pete Hines further calls Microsoft “the perfect fit.”
A note from Matt Firor, Studio Director of ZeniMax Online Studios: https://t.co/fI25uklrZ5 pic.twitter.com/q3qoJwUmXu
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) September 21, 2020
“The commitments we’ve already made with the gamers out there on the games people know about, we will continue with those commitments. The thing this is really about is a huge investment in our Xbox community. They know that the great games coming from ZeniMax and all of those studios—we’re now over 23 studios inside of Xbox—those games will be able to come to the Xbox community, they’ll come to Game Pass day-and-date, and people will just have this amazing collection of great games to continue to play on Xbox.”
