Microsoft Acquires Zenimax Media & Bethesda Softworks

So, things have just gotten a little more interesting in the triple-A gaming sphere. Rumors have been flying about Microsoft possibly purchasing Bethesda (via Zenimax, of course), but I seem to remember both sides kinda sheepishly denying it. Well, now it’s official: Microsoft has purchased Zenimax Media, and thereby, all their subsidiaries. One of these is, of course, Bethesda, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Everyone is talking about the fact that Microsoft now owns Bethesda, as if Zenimax doesn’t have other important studios under their belt. They also own Arkane Studios, id Software, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, and others. That means that, aside from the likes of Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Starpoint and the like, Microsoft now owns Doom, Wolfenstein, Prey, Dishonored, The Evil Within, Quake, and the like.

Those are some pretty major franchises that Microsoft now lords over. Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Doom might be the most popular ones, but the others are definitely nothing to sneeze at. What does the future hold for these IPs now, one wonders. Are these games now going to be Xbox exclusives? That doesn’t sound too likely, but timed exclusives? Maybe. Either way, if that does end up being the case, then Microsoft is really going hard this generation. Heck, this announcement alone this close to the launch of the new consoles is a clever move.

Whatever the case may be, here’s how things are right now: Microsoft owns Fallout, all things Elder Scrolls, the long-awaited Starpoint, Doom, Evil Within, and a bunch of first-person shooters. And my beloved Arkane Studios, which I have some very mixed emotions about. What they’re gonna do about it, we’ll just have to wait and see. One thing’s for certain, on the surface, it seems that Microsoft is making big moves for this console generation. I’m curious to see what happens.