Microsoft’s ZeniMax Acquisition Is Complete, Xbox Head Welcomes New Studios

Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media has officially pushed through following the European Commission’s approval of the $7.5B deal last week, making it the largest merger in the video game industry to date.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s VP for Gaming, welcomed the ZeniMax team in a blog post on Xbox Wired:

“Today we officially complete the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks,” said Spencer. “It’s an honor to welcome the eight incredibly talented development studios – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios – and their passionate global communities to the Xbox family.”

Spencer continues to assure the gaming community that the ZeniMax studios, Bethesda included, will continue to make games as they always have while also teasing new titles that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.

Pete Hines, the Senior Vice President of PR and Marketing at Bethesda, also backed Spencer’s statement that nothing will change with the acquisition in a separate blog post. “First, let me say that we’re not making any landmark announcements or changes right now,” he said.

“As we’ve all shared, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as we have in the past, just with more support and resources than we’ve ever had before,” continued Hines. “Obviously, Game Pass has been an important initiative for Xbox, and we’ll be working on putting even more of our games into Game Pass than ever before. Beyond that? Stay tuned, we’re just getting started together.”