Microsoft isn’t done with acquiring studios after picking up Bethesda
After announcing its acquisition of Bethesda/Zenimax Media earlier this week, Microsoft has hinted that it will continue to pick up major studios in the coming years and months.
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced it will be purchasing Bethesda in its entirety for $7.5 billion, encompassing major franchises such as Fallout, Elder Scrolls, DOOM and countless others.
It’s one of the biggest acquisitions of its kind we’ve ever seen, and will transform the gaming landscape moving forward, and will likely result in titles such as Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield being exclusively to Windows and Xbox platforms.
It seems the company isn’t done when it comes to building its portfolio of studios, either. In a new interview with CNET, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadell said it will continue to keep its eye on potential acquisitions in the gaming space. “You can’t wake up one day and say, ‘Let me build a game studio’,” he said. “The idea of having content is so we can reach larger communities.”
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Xbox boss Phil Spencer echoed similar thoughts in the same interview, noting that “content is just the incredible ingredient to our platform that we continue to invest in. This doubles the size of our creative organization.” Bethesda is a positively massive company to bring under its umbrella, so we’ll be surprised if Microsoft can top such a move in future.
The purchase of Bethesda also means that all of its portfolio will be arriving on Xbox Game Pass moving forward, and that will include new titles on the day of release. This is a huge incentive for fans of the company, and provides yet another reason to sign up for a service which is slowly but surely becoming the best deal in gaming.
Microsoft has picked up an absurd number of studios in recent months, with the acquisition of Bethesda bringing id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames and more into its family of creators. It will be fascinating to see how tbey will perform under the eyes of Xbox, although it has been made clear it will operate in a semi-independent fashion away from the core set of first-party studios.
It certainly makes the coming launch of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S much more exciting, with both of them set to launch on November 10.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
