Microsoft recently announced plans to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, one of the largest, privately held game developers and publishers in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will acquire ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in cash.
Creators of gaming franchises including The Elder Scrolls and Fallout among many others, Bethesda brings a portfolio of games, technology, talent, as well as ‘a track record of blockbuster commercial success’, to Xbox.
The cultural phenomenon of gaming has made it the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment in the world—an industry that is expected to be more than $200 billion in annual revenue in 2021. Games are the primary growth engine in gaming and games are fuelling new cloud-gaming services like Xbox Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 15 million subscribers.
With the addition of Bethesda, Microsoft will grow from 15 to 23 creative studio teams and will be adding Bethesda’s franchises to Xbox Game Pass. This includes Microsoft’s intent to bring Bethesda’s future games into Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC.
With investments in content, community, and the cloud, Microsoft’s gaming strategy aims to differ from others by empowering people to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want.
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