Microsoft och Xbox meddelar att de köper Zenimax Media, moderbolag till bland annat Bethesda Softworks. Detta betyder att Xbox nu får kontroll över varumärken som The Elder Scrolls, Doom och Fallout.

Zenimax Media äger bolag som Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Zenimax Online Studios, Arkane och Machinegames. Enligt sajten Kotaku betalar Xbox 7,5 miljarder dollar för Zenimax Media. Översatt till svenska kronor blir det hisnande 66 miljarder. Som referens är det bara en miljard mindre än vad Disney betalade för Marvel och Lucasfilm tillsammans.

Microsoft skriver på sin blogg:

“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.

As one of the largest, most critically acclaimed, privately held game developers and publishers in the world, Bethesda is an incredibly talented group of 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in our industry across Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. These are the teams responsible for franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and many more.”

Bethesda har också offentliggjort affären. De skriver bland annat så här:

"But the key point is we’re still Bethesda. We’re still working on the same games we were yesterday, made by the same studios we’ve worked with for years, and those games will be published by us.

So why the change? Because it allows us to make even better games going forward. Microsoft is an incredible partner and offers access to resources that will make us a better publisher and developer. We believe that means better games for you to play. Simply put - we believe that change is an important part of getting better. We believe in pushing ourselves to be better. To innovate. To grow."

Att Microsoft annonserar detta dagen innan förbokningarna för Xbox Series-konsolerna drar igång är såklart ingen slump.