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Microsoft bought Zenimax/Bethesda

drahkon

By drahkon
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drahkon

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Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.

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Horrible for the gaming world, unless MS will keep the games in question multiplat.

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Dcubed
Dcubed

Fucking Gold as always

Julius
Julius

I think my biggest concern with this acquisition compared to others is that I just can't see the necessity for it from the outside, other than Microsoft having deep enough pockets. I wonder if they wo

Nicktendo
Nicktendo

Devil’s advocate, but these big publishers going to Microsoft or Sony rather than Amazon, Google or China is better.  It’s not ideal, granted, but it could be much, much worse.  I expect mor

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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WHAT IN THE UNHOLY FUCK!?!?!?

NO FUCKING WAY!!! Fucking Power Move of the Century!!!!!

Holy Fuckshit!!! That is unbelievably massive!! I can't even comprehend this!!

Edited by Dcubed
Happenstance Collaborator

Happenstance

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Just now, Dcubed said:

Err... guys... What does this mean for Deathloop now?

Err... is it still coming to PS5? This is a bit awkward lol!

It will be. Can't think of a time where something like this happened where previous game launches weren't honoured. Psychonauts 2 for example is still multiplatform and that's the same situation.

Happenstance Collaborator

Happenstance

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I've got to admit, I'm not as bothered by this as I would have expected. Granted I'll still play these games on PC as I always have but after Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 Bethesda just don't really excite me like they once did.

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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8 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

I feel like I'd read rumours that this was one of the acquisitions months ago but I'm not sure.

That was Warner Bros Interactive; when AT&T were considering putting them up for sale; which they eventually backed down on... seemingly in favour of "restructuring" (read; downsizing) them instead.

This came out of fucking nowhere! Zenimax are the next biggest publisher after WBIE, so this comes as a HUGE shocker! :o 

Elder Scrolls being Xbox exclusive is no joke! Microsoft aren't fucking around!

Sony better start eying their loose partners like Bluepoint pretty fucking soon or they are getting swallowed up by the Game Pass monster!

Edited by Dcubed
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Happenstance Collaborator

Happenstance

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Just now, Dcubed said:

That was Warner Bros Interactive; when AT&T were considering putting them up for sale; which they eventually backed down on... seemingly in favour of "restructuring" (read; downsizing) them instead.

No I think this was before that. There was nothing really substantial to them, just posts in the middle of forum discussions I think.

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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Just now, Mandalore said:

If all this works out for Microsoft, what are the chances of a Nintendo Sony collaboration next next gen?

A Microsoft/Nintendo collab is far more likely.  They're already buddying up and getting real chummy as it is.

They have more to gain by working together to take down Sony as they're not really in direct competition with each other anyway.

Ganepark32 Newbie

Ganepark32

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Actually taken aback by that news. Absolutely huge. I can completely see how some say its bad for the consumer (Skyrim alone is one of the best selling games of the last decade never mind the pull that the Elder Scrolls IP has) but from Microsoft's position, this is them firmly showing they know they need strong first party titles and if they can't do it in house, bring in people who can (dubious quality of the last Fallout games and Elder Scrolls Blades aside).

The list of IP they've just gained with this is insane. Hell, even the studios like Arkane, Tango and Machinegun Games.

Its the biggest acquisition I've known of in gaming in my time being around and I doubt there'll quite be anything that big going forward for some time.

I am curious if the big IPs like Fallout and Elder Scrolls will still see multi-platform releases, on the PS5 and Switch for instance. Given the popularity of those franchises, it would be bad business sense not to and leave all that potential PS5 player money on the table.

If anything, I'm just happy the likes of Arkane will be able to keep doing the work they're doing as I'm a huge Dan of their games. Always worried they'd go under with Dishonored and Prey underperforming.

As has been said, this being announced before pre-orders is no coincidence. This is a hype point to push people to put down their money. Whether it works is another thing but damn, huge play by Microsoft.

Sony is in the market for other studios too. You have to wonder if this'll push them to make their moves on studios they were considering. Microsoft still clearly have their eyes on studios like Asobo and Dontnod, but I'd be curious to know if Sony will now make their moves here, although sadly Remedy will be off the table for some time until their Epic 2 game deal runs out but Bungie is still on the table after Microsoft walked away (at least according to rumours).

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S.C.G Collaborator

S.C.G

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About that port of Doom Eternal for the Switch...

We should still get that, right?

It just means that Microsoft will get a cut of the takings, just like with any Rare games which were made and released on Nintendo platforms after that acquisition.

That's how I'd read into it, aside from that one game though, moving forward, this is a good move for Microsoft, in business terms.

For Bethesda though? It must have been made worth their while, assuming that all their games are now Xbox (and PC?) only, they must have decided that the amount of sales they would make on other platforms, PS4/PS5/Switch to be not worth it for them, in light of what has been offered to them.

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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This kind of aquisition is just on a scale that is completely unheard of! It's outright frightning!

The likes of Square-Enix are on the table now for a Microsoft aquisition if they're actually willing to fund the Xbox division enough to throw around this kind of utterly insane money!

Honestly? I think that Konami's gaming division might actually be a viable target now... that is unless Sony get there first!

Sony REALLY need to start shopping around.  Now.

Edited by Dcubed
drahkon Proficient

drahkon

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7 minutes ago, Ganepark32 said:

Whether it works is another thing but damn, huge play by Microsoft.

Pretty sure it will.
I always said that competition is great and I really hope the Xbox Series S/X sell well, but this acquisition kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

7 minutes ago, Ganepark32 said:

Sony is in the market for other studios too. You have to wonder if this'll push them to make their moves on studios they were considering. Microsoft still clearly have their eyes on studios like Asobo and Dontnod, but I'd be curious to know if Sony will now make their moves here, although sadly Remedy will be off the table for some time until their Epic 2 game deal runs out but Bungie is still on the table after Microsoft walked away (at least according to rumours).

Thing is: Sony doesn't have the spending power compared to Microsoft.

I wonder if this'll lead to MS having a monopoly eventually (i.e. in 15-20 years)...I can see them going after more of the big 3rd party publishers.

Edit: More likely this'll turn into an arms race.

This changes the industry...and not in a good way, I fear. Really happy to be proven wrong, though.

Edited by drahkon
Goafer Newbie

Goafer

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I wonder if this will draw the same level of anti-consumer hate that Sony got for their deals.

As for Bethesda, I used to love their games, especially Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series, but I've kind of lost interest in them recently. Maybe it's because Fallout 4 and 76 were hot garbage, or maybe I'm just bored of Skyrim releases, but something has made me very meh about the whole thing.

It's not really an issue, as I'll probably get both the PS5 and the new Xbox, as the pricing of the S has made it a viable choice, but I certainly won't be doing it for the sake of TES, Fallout or other Bethesda games.

Edited by Goafer
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Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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It's crazy to think that just a few years back, Microsoft cutting their losses with the Xbox division was a very real possiblity...

This move, more than any other, proves that Microsoft is finally going all-in on Xbox.  And it's all thanks to the shift towards turning Xbox into a subscription based business.  They want that Windows/Office360 subscription money and they want it bad!

This would never have happened if Xbox didn't transition over to Game Pass.  When Satya Nadella is directly assuming control, and not just the Xbox division, with this aquisition? You know that this is a seismic shift in how they're tackling the industry!

Edited by Dcubed
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Cube

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What's interesting is that Bethesda's main games are pretty much anti-Games Pass. They're the kind of games people want to play for a long period, to return to every now and then. They're games to buy, not rent.

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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2 minutes ago, Cube said:

What's interesting is that Bethesda's main games are pretty much anti-Games Pass. They're the kind of games people want to play for a long period, to return to every now and then. They're games to buy, not rent.

That's exactly WHY they're perfect for Game Pass.  You have to stay subscribed in order to play through them completely.

Dcubed Proficient

Dcubed

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BTW... I think that Tecmo-Koei, Konami (gaming division), Bluepoint, Sumo Digital, Don't Nod, Crytek, Codemasters, Level-5 and SEGA are all serious possible aquisition targets now... (I don't think anyone will seriously want to buy Spike Chunsoft and I don't think that Bungie, Square-Enix, Capcom or IO will be willing to sell).  Everyone else is either too big, too small, too specialist (like Wayforward or M2) or has too much redundancy (like Bandai-Namco - which ironically only exists because Nintendo tried to buy Namco back in the early 2000s).

Nintendo should seriously be considering buying Tecmo-Koei before Microsoft does.  They are a critical partner and they can't afford to lose them as a support studio.

Edited by Dcubed
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