Bethesda Officially Acquired by Microsoft’s Xbox Team

Back in September 2020, it was originally announced that Microsoft would be acquiring ZeniMax Media, the parent company of development teams including Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. As of today, that acquisition has formally happened, with Phil Spencer (Head of Xbox) making the announcement that all these studios are now part of the Xbox Family.

In a statement by Mr Spencer:

Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone. At every step building toward this moment, I’ve been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community-first approach of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players.

There are still many questions that gamers need to have answered around the future of many IPs from Bethesda and the other studios. In the immediate future things don’t seem to be changing. For example, some upcoming off-Xbox console exclusives such as Arkane Studios’ DEATHLOOP on the PlayStation 5 are still confirmed to be going ahead for now.

But with Spencer sharing that “gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games” and that there will be “some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players”, that trend may be shifting sooner rather than later.

In the more immediate term however, I would expect to see more ZeniMax Media games be rolled out onto Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S very soon. You can read the full statement made by Spencer by clicking HERE.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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