If you have been following the acquisition of Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Then you’ll be aware of the money involved and what is at stake. In September 2020, Microsoft made the first contact with Zenimax Media offering $7.5 Billion to acquire their company. This saga then continued for a number of months with certain legalities to be sorted and tied down before the deal could be given the green light. However, just recently, the deal was finalised meaning that Microsoft is now the proud owner of one of the most well-known developers in the world.
Just in case you were unaware, Bethesda Softworks are the team behind the modern Fallout series, The Elder Scrolls, Doom and a handful of other well-respected titles. So, this acquisition is huge for Microsoft and Xbox and could have major ramifications on the other companies within the industry.
Microsoft Aim to Take Over
For quite a while, Microsoft has played second fiddle to Sony and arguably Nintendo as well. With the only real time that they edged into a lead being in the 2000’s with the Xbox 360 garnering a lot of popularity. However, as is reflected in overall sales, Sony would still close the gap and win that generation as well. So it seems that Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Sony’s book and have decided to buy third party studios capable of producing exclusive content that will draw players to their console.
In the early days of the acquisition, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox was quick to quell any talks of exclusive content. He mentioned that content such as Deathloop would still remain a timed Playstation exclusive. Plus, he stated that Xbox had no plans to make major Zenimax branded titles exclusive to Xbox consoles. He deemed this unnecessary at the time but after months of deliberation, it seems there has been a change of heart.
Doubling Down on Game Pass
Game Pass has been Xbox’s USP for a while now. Offering players, a Netflix style library of titles for a very low monthly subscription price. Something that Playstation has recreated through Playstation Plus with mixed results. Well, it seems that the Zenimax acquisition was all in the hope of producing exclusive titles that will launch straight to Game Pass free for all players who pay their monthly fee. It’s an admirable tactic and will surely have Sony worried about retention as this generation continues.
We are still unaware if this will be solely new IP’s or if games like Doom, TES and Fallout will become exclusive to Game Pass. However, one thing is for sure. If the latter does become a reality, Xbox will see a wave of players flocking to their new service. Only time will tell what the future holds for this generation and Zenimax but if you are an Xbox owner, it all looks like sunshine and rainbows from here.
So that’s our news regarding the Zenimax acquisition. What do you make of the news? Do you think that these games will be exclusive to Xbox? Would this be enough to see you switch consoles? Let us know in the comments section below and as always. Thank you for reading
