Microsoft Aquires ZeniMax Media / Bethesda

Typically, I don’t care much about next/current generation console news. I mean, I care, but it isn’t what really interests me all that much. But, the news today that Microsoft is aquiring ZeniMax Media (parent company of Bethesda) is a pretty big move by Microsoft.

What does it mean exactly for gamers? Well, there is a lot of uncertainty. It does mean that Bethesda titles will be a part of Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass is a subscription game service for Xbox and Windows 10 PCs. It has been compared to being “Netflix for video games”.

Why is acquiring Bethesda a big deal? Well, it means that some of gaming’s biggest franchises will be moving under the Microsoft umbrella. These franchises include (but not limited to) Doom, Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

Does this mean these games will be exclusive to Microsoft consoles going forward? That is hard to say. There is no official word of this yet. It would also seem counter-intuitive for them to suddenly limit their userbase by excluding Sony and Nintendo consoles. Maybe we will see timed releases favoring Microsoft’s platforms, though.

Overall, this is good news for Microsoft and Xbox, but I don’t personally feel real good about this for Bethesda games going forward. It is a personal opinion, but I don’t think that this merger will make the games coming from these franchises better. Only time will tell for sure.

What do you think of this announcement?