Microsoft To Buy Bethesda Studios For $7.5 Billion

[Delicieuxz]

Microsoft now own The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, Doom, Wolfenstein, Prey, Quake, Rage, and all Obsidian, InXile, and Double Fine games. That's a huge amount of gaming history and of bigger formerly-independent studios that Microsoft now own. I hope they are going to do good things with them.

 

Microsoft has been making a lot of positive moves lately, but it's still too soon to take it as confirmed that Microsoft is going to continue their good trajectory. I'm concerned that the positive changes Phil Spencer (I'm presuming) has finally brought to Microsoft after being with them for so long could be threatened when he leaves the company - which I hope won't be for a long time still.

 

 

I am surprised that ZeniMax sold their company because ZeniMax has been a privately-owned greed-driven rotten company seemingly obsessed with self-aggrandization, and $7.5 billion isn't a lot of money for all of that IP, which I think could easily make that much back within 5 - 8 years, if enough studios are working on projects with them.

 

I wonder if ZeniMax' owners felt they wanted to spend more time using their money rather than fighting to make it, and so just sold the company. But then, Bethesda Game Studios hasn't released a notable new game in 9 years. So, I think ZeniMax' ownership realized they lacked proper management for what was their company and that they weren't going anywhere fast anymore.

 

 

The Elder Scrolls IP going to Microsoft is probably a big improvement over it being under the control of ZeniMax. This means that studios other than Bethesda might make future Elder Scrolls games, and that production, quest design, and writing quality direction might be taken out of Bethesda Game Studios' own hands and undergo more scrutiny and held to better standards (both of those things have been awful in every Bethesda game since Oblivion).

 

 

The ZeniMax sale to Microsoft means:

 

- Management, production quality, and PR representation will likely significantly improve for Bethesda Game Studios games, which has been sorely lacking in all of those things.

 

- That we'll likely see Elder Scrolls and Fallout games released a lot more regularly, as Microsoft will surely increase the number of studios working on them so that it isn't 5 - 9+ years between each next release. Microsoft didn't pay $7.5 billion to not be releasing games, after all.

 

- That someone other than Todd Howard could get to direct an Elder Scrolls game - which would be great because that guy is a hack.

 

- That Obsidian, which Microsoft also own, might make a future Elder Scrolls or Fallout game - which could be great because they actually have writing talent.

 

- That ZeniMax will be launching fewer lawsuits, including fewer frivolous lawsuits.

 

 

"We're Still Bethesda," Says VP Pete Hines Following News Of Microsoft's Acquisition

"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."

 

Hopefully, that is mainly just assuaging PR from Hines, because the last thing that BGS games, and Elder Scroll and Fallout fans, need is for them to still be Bethesda, making games in the same way as they were doing under ZeniMax.

[Master Disaster]

[akio123008]

36 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

Lying Todd needs to be fired

I was just about to say:

 

"the deal just works"

[Delicieuxz]

10 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

 

And Tom Hall's response:

 

The sale to Microsoft is already bringing-out positive developments.

[Lord Vile]

57 minutes ago, Vanderburg said:

Microsoft overpaid for what is currently a garbage company.

Garbage = not profitable? It's a fairly good deal for all the IP they're getting. The original Skyrim alone sold over 30 million units by 2016 without adding in DLC that's around 1 billion pre tax on 1 game in one series that Microsoft now owns. Imagine in Elder scrolls 6 was Xbox and PC exclusive? That would bury sony.

[Delicieuxz]

4 hours ago, cj09beira said:

shit, i dont want to need to use the windows store to play elders scroll VI

Going by Microsoft's recent pledge, you shouldn't have to:

 

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/05/30/microsoft-approach-to-pc-gaming/

Quote

More Choice in Where to Buy Xbox Game Studios Titles

 

Enabling gamers to play together, through cross-platform play and cross-network play across Windows 10 PCs and console, is vitally important. Building communities across all of those players, regardless of the store or platform they’ve chosen (console or PC), is also vitally important because it helps bring players together, allows games to find their largest audience and allows gaming to deliver its true potential of uniting people around the power of play.

 

With that in mind, our intent is to make our Xbox Game Studios PC games available in multiple stores, including our own Microsoft Store on Windows, at their launch. We believe you should have choice in where you buy your PC games.

 

[ravenshrike]

4 hours ago, 3rrant said:

It's hard to fail harder than Bethesda did by themself, so future is looking brighter now.

 

This might be a game changer for the NEXT generation of consoles, considering Bethesda's roadmap (2022+ for Starfield and ??? for TES6) but won't really change much for this one.

It'll bring some more blood to Game Pass, which Xbox surely needs given the first 2-3 years for PS5 are going to be very first party heavy.

27 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Honestly I want Romero to creatively direct a FPS/RPG now that the tech and institutional know-how has caught up. Man was ahead of his time and tried to fly too high, too fast.

[ARikozuM]

4 hours ago, Dedayog said:

Yeah, but with this they get more than 1 SINGLE SOLITARY game

 

 

HEY!!! Solitaire sold millions of copies, so leave it out of this abomination. 

Quote

Yeah, but with this they get more than 1 SINGLE LONELY game

 

[Sauron]

4 hours ago, Dedayog said:

Let's just hope they lift Bethesda and not tank MS by adopting Bethesda's people or culture.

Uh... you're talking about Microsoft.

[Results45]

Daaaaaang.

[Delicieuxz]

Post-Microsoft Acquisition, Bethesda Games Will Be On Other Platforms On A "Case By Case Basis"

Quote

According to a report from Bloomberg, Bethesda has been working closely with Sony pre-acquisition with games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Given that both of those games were marketed as limited-time PlayStation exclusives, the acquisition of the company by Microsoft could change things.

 

Bloomberg's Dina Bass says that Microsoft's Phil Spencer told her that the company will honor the PlayStation timed-exclusivity but after that, other console launches outside of PC and Xbox will be reviewed on a "case-by-case basis."

 

Bethesda is behind some of the most beloved franchises in gaming, including The Elder Scrolls franchise and Doom. Given that many of those series, including the single-player focused Fallout games, have a wide fanbase of millions, it's unlikely that the company would pull access from Sony completely.

 

We are still awaiting confirmation as we've reached out for comment, but it's likely that Sony fans will still see The Elder Scrolls 6 on PlayStation 5 systems, but brand-new IPs like Starfield might remain an Xbox/PC-only deal.

 

[atxcyclist]

Fuck that, so now Fallout and Elder Scrolls are going to be tied-in to Gamepass and could be XBOX exclusives? I guess after 76 I figured Bethesda would be tanked, but not like this.

 

[ACEHACK]

hey maybe we will get evil within 3. 

[centurion_08]

That's a huge power move from Microsoft, gods speed. If i was Sony i would keep my guard up and look for solution. Buying Sega, TakeTwo or Warner Bros game Studion would be a good counter. Throw in PS Now into ps plus subscription and there you go. Imagine Sony keeping hands on GTA 6 and RDR3. 

[soldier_ph]

I'm a big fan of the Wolfenstein games, I freaking hope they won't mess with any of those future games. But yeah the Xbox Series X financing option has just become even more attractive.

[cj09beira]

https://www.overclock3d.net/news/software/xbox_series_x_s_have_led_to_our_largest_engine_overhaul_since_oblivion_-_claims_todd_howard/1

 

 

it seems that after a decade or more bethesda is finally making actual changes to their horrible ass engine (why not just use id tech?)

[Delicieuxz]

1 hour ago, centurion_08 said:

That's a huge power move from Microsoft, gods speed. If i was Sony i would keep my guard up and look for solution. Buying Sega, TakeTwo or Warner Bros game Studion would be a good counter. Throw in PS Now into ps plus subscription and there you go. Imagine Sony keeping hands on GTA 6 and RDR3. 

Take-Two Interactive is a publicly-traded company with a value of $18.9 billion. If Sony wanted to buy a majority stake in the company, they'd have to drop considerably more money than $9.5 billion to do it, as their mere interest in buying that many shares would drive the share-price up, likely dramatically.

[EscReality]

3 hours ago, atxcyclist said:

Fuck that, so now Fallout and Elder Scrolls are going to be tied-in to Gamepass and could be XBOX exclusives? I guess after 76 I figured Bethesda would be tanked, but not like this.

 

Not really much of an issue for PC users. Anything Xbox gets we also get moving forward. There is no such thing as a console exclusive in the Xbox world, they consider PC part of the Xbox community. This only hurts Sony and ultimately thats not a bad thing. This will be a good thing for the future of Bethesda games, it will be the thing that saves them from the disaster they have been the past few years.

 

[WereCat]

Why not 7.6 billion? 

Missed opportunity for Bailout 7.6

[Bombastinator]

11 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

Will mircosoft lift them up or will bethesda drag microsoft down? That's the real question. Bethesda worked hard to get to the bad reputation they have now. They'll have to work even harder to get back to where they were at the release of TESV.

I thought it was EA that caused a lot of the Bethesda problems.  The way I heard it fallout76 was such a POS primarily because of requirements by the parent company to add a lot of crap Bethesda didn’t want to add.   Bethesda did have some homegrown crap though.  Like the tendency to release games with annoying bugs.   Bethesda was the company that got me to never buy a game unless it was already out for a year. 

[Fatih19]

8 hours ago, Delicieuxz said:

- That someone other than Todd Howard could get to direct an Elder Scrolls game - which would be great because that guy is a hack.

How can you call someone who was in the chess club a hack? Smh my head. 

[Fatih19]

32 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I thought it was EA that caused a lot of the Bethesda problems.

You mean Zenimax Media? EA is not the parent company of Bethesda.

[Bombastinator]

10 minutes ago, Fatih19 said:

You mean Zenimax Media? EA is not the parent company of Bethesda.

I don’t remember how exactly it worked.  Does semi max own EA too?  I remember watching this really convoluted thing about how there is a company that owns a bunch of game companies and wanted to go public or sell a game company or something which was a financial move that netted players at te parent company a bunch of money so they were using fallout76 to fill checkboxes rather than actually make a good game.  EA was involved somehow iirc.  It’s appearing like I don’t recall correctly though.

[Jet_ski]

Headline: Tech giant admits they can’t innovate or improve upon existing software, pays $7.5 billion to put logo on another company’s products and use their codes.

[Fatih19]

3 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I don’t remember how exactly it worked.  Does semi max own EA too? 

Uh no? EA is a publicly traded company, they're their own thing. You're way-off here IMO.