Microsoft caused quite a stir yesterday when it announced to the world that it had acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, id Software, Arkane, MachineGames and others. The acquisition cost a whopping $7.5 billion (the equivalent of two LucasFilms titles), and the company suddenly found itself the owner of "The Elder Scrolls," "Fallout," "Wolfenstein," "Dishonored," "Wayne Gretzky Hockey," "Prey," " Quake," among others. [The Bethesda acquisition, followed by the acquisitions of Double Fine Productions, inXile Entertainment, Mojang and Obsidian, is not necessarily the end of the story: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told Cnet that the company is keeping an eye out for more suitable acquisition targets.
"You can't wake up one day and say, 'Let's build a game studio,'" he said.
"The whole point of having content is to reach a larger community.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer reiterated his commitment to content in the same interview, saying, "Content is a great element of our platform that we continue to invest in. This will double the size of our creative organization." He stated.
Spencer also reiterated the commitment he made in yesterday's CNBC interview, saying that Bethesda will be left to do its own thing as much as possible to maintain "the culture of these teams" that made ZeniMax so attractive to Microsoft in the first place He stated.
"We always look for places where there is commonality of purpose, mission, and culture. We will always look to grow inorganically where it makes sense."
In case you missed it, Microsoft confirmed yesterday that all upcoming Bethesda games will be playable on Xbox Game Pass from day one. We've given our own thoughts on Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda and what it means for the gaming industry as a whole, which you can read here.
Comments