Microsoft Buys Bethesda for 7.5 Billion

Xbox Game Pass just got even better

Today Microsoft announced the acquisition of Zenimax Media, which includes Bethesda Softworks for Bill Gate’s pocket change of 7.5 billion dollars.

Bethesda employs 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in the gaming 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 parent company ZeniMax Media was founded in 1999 by Chairman and CEO Robert A. Altman; Bethesda’s structure and leadership will remain in place.

“This is a thrilling day for this company, our employees, and our fans. We have enjoyed a close partnership with Microsoft for decades, and this deal is a natural progression of those years working together,” said Altman. “The big winners today are our fans. We are continuing to develop our slate of AAA games, but now with Microsoft’s scale and entire Game Stack, our games can only get better.”

Robert A. Altman

This is an incredibly exciting development for anyone with Xbox Game Pass, and perfectly timed with the launch of preorders for the next generation of Xboxes tomorrow.

Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you.

Phil Spencer, President of Xbox

While there is currently no word on how today’s news effects the release of Deathloop, which was previously announced as a PlayStation and PC exclusive, this move by Microsoft brings the possibility of strong exclusives in the future.

As Game Pass fans here at Simply Binge, we are very excited by today’s announcement, and we’d love to hear what you think about it in the comments or on any of our social accounts.

Tim Bledsoe

Podcasts & Single-player games are his thing except on "Adventure Time Tuesdays"